Former Indiana Jones 5 writer David Koepp thinks new director James Mangold is a great choice. With the world in the current state that it’s in, any film production could be forgiven for not hitting its initial targets in terms of completion and release dates. However, when it comes to the somewhat beleaguered production of Indiana Jones 5, the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of many setbacks that have troubled the film. Release dates and key creatives have come and gone, as have attempts at getting the ball rolling with an actual production schedule.

When the film was initially announced back in 2016, Steven Spielberg was set to direct. Although some Indiana Jones fans preferred the series to be left as it was, there were many others who held out hope for a fifth installment. Fast-forward four years, and not only is Spielberg no longer involved as director, but acclaimed screenwriter Koepp is also out of the picture as well. Spielberg has since been replaced by the formidable James Mangold of Logan fame, who is also working on the script.

In an interview with THR for his new Kevin Bacon-led horror film You Should Have Left, Koepp reveals that although he has left Indiana Jones 5 behind him, he thinks Mangold is “a great guy to explore it.” Koepp also stressed just how difficult it is to be involved with a franchise as beloved as Indiana Jones, while lamenting that not every project comes together in the way you want it to. The filmmaker’s opinions also underscore his extensive experience working on a wide variety of hit films and the manner by which he’s able to move on after putting so much into something he clearly had high hopes for:

The reason Indiana Jones movies are so difficult is because it’s really difficult. (Laughs.) It’s hard. It has to be great. The first and third movies in that series are just utterly beloved, and ‘utterly beloved’ is a high bar. So, I did a couple versions of this last one that I thought were good; the last one, in particular. But it didn’t quite come together. Steven couldn’t do it in the end and whatever. It just didn’t come together. Sometimes, they do; sometimes, they don’t. But if there’s going to be another Indiana Jones movie, I think James Mangold is a great guy to explore it. Certainly, what he did with Logan was remarkable…

Judging by his past work, there’s every reason to believe Mangold is a perfectly reasonable choice to direct an Indiana Jones film. However, the question on the minds of a great number of Indy fans is if this project is worth pursuing anymore. The numerous setbacks seem to be revealing a greater truth, although there are still many who would firmly disagree with such a theory. As things currently stand, Harrison Ford isn’t getting any younger and there’s no telling how old the acclaimed actor will be once production actually gets underway on Indiana Jones 5.

With everything that has gone wrong so far on this movie, it does seem like there could be more setbacks to come. Should Mangold ultimately step away from Indiana Jones 5 at some point, it’s hard to imagine how this production will get things together enough to make its 2022 release date. But, it’s impossible to say now what will become of this project. All that is known is that among fans, it’s arguably already one of the most divisive Indiana Jones entries to date.

Indiana Jones 5 (2022)
Release Date: Jul 29, 2022