As the cast of Disney/Lucasfilm's still untitled Indiana Jones movie continues to grow, the first plot details for the upcoming fifth installment have found their way online, and it sounds like director James Mangold may have some surprising things in store for Harrison Ford's intrepid archaeologist.
According to The Illuminerdi, the movie will be set in the 1960s during the space race (Operation Paperclip?), with Indy once again coming up against his favorite foes, the Nazis. Mads Mikkelsen is believed to be playing the villain (hard to believe, we know), and his character is described as "a Nazi scientist enlisted into NASA by the United States government to work on the space agency’s moon landing initiative."
The more recently cast Shaunette Renee Wilson, meanwhile, will play Mikkelsen’s CIA handler. Apparently, a female villain described as “an evil and brutal killer” will also factor into the story, and Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson is said to have passed on this role.
Since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull took place in 1957, the '60s setting does make sense, but putting a more modern slant on the franchise by introducing the space race elements may not sit very well with some fans. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean we'll see Indy and co. rocket off to the stars for a full-on sci-fi adventure, but the last movie did feature aliens, so we're not discounting any possibilities.
Though the source is generally very reliable, best to treat this as a rumor for the time being, but be sure to let us know what you make of the report in the comments.
Indiana Jones 5 will also star Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Thomas Kretschmann (Avengers: Age of Ultron). Logan director James Mangold is taking the helm, and it's also been confirmed that John Williams will return as composer. Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel will serve as producers.
Indy 5 will swing into theaters July 29, 2022.