'Indiana Jones 5' May Be Rolling Forward
Harrison Ford in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’
Six years after his last big-screen appearance, Indiana Jones may ride again. Variety has printed what appears to be confirmation that Indiana Jones 5 is going into production. Buried in an article about an online filmmaking course is this line about cinematographer Janusz Kaminski: “His next project is the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie.” (A frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator, Kaminski was the director of photography on 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.)
Insiders have been anticipating the announcement of a fifth Indiana Jones movie since December, when Disney acquired the rights to the franchise (following its acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012). Spielberg and George Lucas have reportedly been developing the movie since 2008, but plans seemed to have stalled after Crystal Skull met with a mixed reception (albeit fantastic box office). One rumor circulating earlier this year was that Disney had agreed to develop one or two new Indiana Jones movies for Harrison Ford in order to secure his participation in Star Wars: Episode VII. If Ford is indeed reprising his role as the archaeologist-slash-adventurer, it would make sense to get the ball rolling while he’s still in Star Wars shape.
Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf in ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’
Of course, Ford is also 72 years old — and has suffered multiple injuries while playing Dr. Jones in the past — which means that Disney is probably weighing its options for a new Indy in the future. Shia LaBeouf, who played the junior Jones in Crystal Skull, once seemed the most likely candidate to don the fedora. In recent months, however, the rumor mill has named Bradley Cooper and Robert Pattinson as possible successors to Ford. (Both reports were denied by the studio.) But Ford has expressed interest in playing the character for as long as possible. “I don’t think I’ll do it in a wheelchair,” he joked to MTV in 2010. “George [Lucas] is working on an idea, and if it comes to a fruitful stage, all of us are very interested in making another.”
Unfortunately Ford was in a wheelchair for a time during the shooting of Star Wars: Episode VI, after injuring his ankle on the Millennium Falcon set this summer. Production went on a brief hiatus while the actor recuperated, but his co-star Oscar Isaac recently assured EW that Ford had made a “150 percent” recovery. As of today, Disney has made no official announcement regarding the next chapter of Indiana Jones.
Watch a trailer for Crystal Skull:
