When Disney bought Lucasfilm for a whopping $4 billion last year, it didn’t just walk away with the Star Wars franchise. The House of Mouse now owns the rights to another beloved property: Indiana Jones. Disney was quick to put Star Wars: Episode VII into production, but the studio has remained tight-lipped about what the future may hold for the beloved globetrotting, Nazi-punching archaeologist.
According to Latino Review, the studio is weighing its available options, and is apparently still open to Harrison Ford returning to the title role. However, the 71 year-old’s window is rapidly closing, and Disney wants more Indiana Jones, with or without him.
According to a “reliable source,” the studio has a timeframe in mind for Indy 5, and if things aren’t happening by then, they’re “100% prepared” to move forward with a new trilogy and recast the role. In essence, they’d be giving the films the James Bond treatment, which means continuing the franchise with a new lead, without the word “reboot” attached.
Personally, I feel that this is the most promising news to come forward about Indy 5. I love the original films, and will always have a place in my heart for Harrison Ford. But, the man isn’t getting any younger, and if we learned anything from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it’s that Old Man Indy is not as riveting or fun to watch as young Mr. Jones. The idea of allowing the series to continue, while giving various actors the chance to continue the role for decades to come is actually a great idea.
Let’s face it, Disney will absolutely find a way to continue this series. The potential for future installments and the money that could be made are just too much for them to pass up, and this may be the best way to honor what came before while still paving the way for future films. This approach has worked wonders for 007, and despite a bad entry here or there, we’ve been treated to fifty years of Bond films. Indiana Jones certainly has the potential to reach that same level of success.
Of course, it will be hard to replace Ford, and many fans are already loudly protesting this news. Rumors are circulating about who will don the fedora once Ford is gone, and Latino Review claims that Bradley Cooper is at the top of the studio’s list. They also mention that The Walking Dead’s Frank Darabont has submitted an idea for the next production. Darabont worked on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones TV series and wrote a draft of Crystal Skull that was monumentally better than the one we ended up seeing, so I’m intrigued by his involvement. As for Cooper’s potential casting, I’d prefer the studio go with a relative unknown for the role as I just can’t picture Cooper in the part. But hey, I’ve been wrong before.
Remember, this is only a rumor for now. Latino Review doesn’t name their source and we have yet to get any official confirmation, so take this report with a rolling boulder-sized grain of salt. Judging by the track record of Indian Jones–related news, I’m sure we won’t hear anything official for quite a while. We do know one thing for sure, though: Indy is coming back to the big screen. It’s just a matter of how and when.