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Harrison Ford Confirms Indiana Jones 5 Will Be His Franchise Finale
Screen legend Harrison Ford has confirmed that Indiana Jones 5 will be his final time in the role. Ford first donned Indy’s iconic fedora in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, and would go on to reprise the role in 1984’s The Temple of Doom, 1989’s The Last Crusade and 2008’s The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Talk of a potential Indiana Jones 5 had been making the rounds even prior to the release of the 2008 film, though progress would eventually stall until Lucasfilm was sold to Disney in 2012. Under its new ownership, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy officially announced that they would be making a fifth film as far back as 2015.
In spite of that announcement, it would take several more years and slew of behind-the-scenes changes before principal photography officially got underway in June last year. In addition to moving through multiple versions of the script, and regularly changing screenwriters, original director Steven Spielberg also stepped aside from helming the project in February 2020. Three months later Logan director James Mangold was tapped to replace him, and another round of rewrites was undertaken. After a long series of delays, and interruptions due to the COVID pandemic, the finished film is currently slated to premiere on June 30 next year.
During this year’s D23 Expo, Ford took to the stage to confirm to attendees what many have suspected all along, that this latest outing as the famous whip cracking archeologist will be his last. During the Lucasfilm panel, Ford introduced a sizzle reel of the upcoming Indiana Jones adventure and cracked a joke about ending his tenure in the fan favorite role. Leaving no doubt as to his intentions, 80-year-old Ford quipped “This is it! I will not fall down for you again.”
Given Ford’s age and the physical demands of the role, this news is not particularly surprising for fans of the actor. Last year it was reported that Ford sustained a shoulder injury while rehearsing for a fight sequence in the new film, and prior to that he broke his leg while filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The sort of physical punishment Ford has likely had to endure throughout the course of the production would have been challenging for an actor half his age, let alone one who has been in the role for well over 40 years.
The question remains, however, as to whether the character of Indiana Jones will end once Ford’s time in the role does. When Disney first purchased Lucasfilm, former Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted that audiences would see much more of the character going forward, though Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy has recently stated that they “would never make Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford”. Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Pratt has also shot down rumors that he was being considered as a potential replacement. Regardless of whatever the future may hold for Indy, when Indiana Jones 5 finally hits theaters next year, it will be marking the end of era in cinema history.
