After Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull proved to be a real let-down, the hope had been that a fifth instalment would be released to make up for past mistakes. Many fans were concerned when Steven Spielberg confirmed he would return to direct another movie in the series, but plans changed, and Logan helmer James Mangold is now behind the camera.
He's already talked about taking the original script's old-man jokes and turning them into a meaningful arc for Indy as his days as an adventurer wind down. That alone suggests we're getting a more well-thought-out approach to the project than what Spielberg had planned, but Harrison Ford has now admitted that he had some reservations about returning, regardless.
"I didn't feel it was necessary to do another one," he told Empire (via ActioNewz.com). "I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey." The legendary actor would go on to say that he soon realised he'd only come back to the role, "if a script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character."
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As for the final product, Ford is clearly happy with how it's turned out. "It's full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it's complex and it's sneaky. The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous, but I'm very happy with the film that we have."
With us picking up with Indy at a later stage of his life, the actor explains that it's given him the chance to explore a whole new side of the hero. "[The Time period is] the water that the fish is out of. It is a time of pop culture," Ford says of the 1969 setting. "Of men on the moon. Music. Everything’s changed."
"And not insignificantly, it is the end of his academic career, which leaves him open for other opportunities, or mischief."
We can't wait for this one, and a trailer is hopefully incoming. If we had to hazard a guess, it will either arrive in front of Avatar: The Way of Water or Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania in February.
Indiana Jones 5 is set to be released in theaters on June 30, 2023.