It’s time to grab your trusty fedoras and whips, Indiana Jones fans. After the upcoming fifth installment in the beloved adventure series languished in development hell for over ten years, the film has finally begun production. But just how far into filming is the new Harrison Ford movie? Director James Mangold was all too happy to give fans a heads-up.
A fan on Twitter recently asked Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold (The Wolverine, Logan) how much filming was left to complete for the long-awaited sequel. Take a look at his response below:
About a month remaining.January 1, 2022
Yes, you read that correctly: Indiana Jones 5 has only a month's worth of material to cover before the movie can head into post-production. The filming process began in June 2021 after several years’ worth of delays due to scheduling conflicts, script alterations, and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s not counting the years of stagnancy during Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and the subsequent Star Wars revival. After Disney released the last film in the latest Star Wars trilogy, the company finally moved on to producing the highly-anticipated Indiana Jones sequel.
So what can fans expect from Indiana Jones 5? Aside from the return of Harrison Ford and an inevitable reference to the titular hero’s fear of snakes, there’s a lot about the sequel that remains a mystery. Many details regarding the setting, plot, and main characters are being kept under lock and key, with most of the confirmed actors playing undisclosed roles. Characters introduced in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, like Indiana Jones’ son Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) are reportedly not appearing. Karen Allen has also not confirmed the return of Marion Ravenswood, who married Indiana Jones at the end of the fourth movie.
If Indiana Jones’ new family has been nixed, what exactly will the intrepid adventurer/college professor be up to in Indiana Jones 5? Rumor has it that the film will take place in the late 60’s, sometime shortly before the Apollo 11 moon landing. A while back, James Mangold hinted on Twitter that the movie would take place in 1960’s New York City. Actor Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Rogue One) is allegedly playing a Nazi scientist hired by NASA to put a man on the moon, lending even more credence to the ‘space race’ theory. Set photos indicated the re-emergence of the Nazis, so Indiana Jones will presumably be on hand to foil their dastardly plans. Considering that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ended with a flying saucer speeding off to galaxies unknown, it’s not too crazy to imagine Indiana Jones might end up on the moon.
Indiana Jones 5 (title to be determined) is on tap to hit theaters on June 30, 2023. Harrison Ford will star alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, and Antonio Banderas.
