As the nostalgia wave continues to rumble through Hollywood, and cherished projects from our past fight to remain relevant, Indiana Jones gears up for a fifth adventure that definitely will have Harrison Ford in the fedora and leather jacket. So no, Chris Pratt and Chris Pine are not leading a remake. We know that the movie is coming. We even know its release date, for the time being (if it holds). And we officially know that franchise founders Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford are returning. But what else can be shared?
Speaking with BBC News at the BAFTA awards ceremony earlier this week, super producer Kathleen Kennedy provided a few details on the as-yet-unnamed Indiana Jones 5. She was on hand to receive the equivalent of a career achievement award, so she opened up about her fantastic resume. When she got to Indiana Jones 5, Kennedy said:
Oh, Harrison Ford will be involved. It’s not a reboot. It’s a continuation.
That finally shoots down, once and for all, the idea that Ford will pass the baton to a new generation of potential seekers of fortune and glory. And when further pushed by the red-carpet reporter about Harrison Ford’s enthusiasm for the project, Kennedy quickly replied:
Oh, yeah. He can’t wait. He absolutely is [involved].
This is where we need to remind everyone reading that Harrison Ford currently is 77 years of age. Granted, he looks better at 77 than many others do at 50, and we have little doubt that he can still do just about anything that he wants… up to, and including, playing Indiana Jones on screen again.
But Indiana Jones 5 hasn’t started filming yet. And probably won’t begin filming any time soon. When asked by the same reporter about the state of the project, Kathleen Kennedy reveals:
We’re working away, getting the script where we want it to be and then we’ll be ready to go.
So, not exactly prepping to shoot. We’ll remain a little bit skeptical on this one for the moment because scripts have bene an issue for the Indiana Jones franchise ever since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade hit theaters, and collaborators Steven Spielberg and George Lucas cooked up ideas for a potential follow up. Spielberg reportedly always wanted to involve aliens in the sequel, setting it in the 1950s and catching up with an older Indy. But numerous pitches from noted screenwriters were considered, scrapped or salvaged until they came up with the shooting draft for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
And we all know how that turned out.
Getting the script in the best possible shape is crucial. It sounds like they at least have an idea of what they want the fifth Indiana Jones movie to explore. They wouldn’t announce a project and give it a prime summer release date if they didn’t have a story… right?
David Koepp and Jonathan Kasdan reportedly are the writers currently trying to break the script for Indiana Jones 5, and once they have it, Spielberg and Ford can begin shooting it. The movie has a July 9, 2021 release date, which means it should begin filming soon, to give the director time in post. As an example, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad comes out on August 6, 20201, and is basically wrapping filming as we speak. But, Christopher McQuarrie’s seventh Mission: Impossible, which comes out in July 2021, is just now ramping up casting, so it’s all relative.
Stay on CinemaBlend for the latest updates on Indiana Jones 5. And if you want to know every movie that’s coming to theaters this year, make sure to bookmark our calendar, and check it often.
