At least the sons don’t kill their fathers in this one.
On July 19, 2019 we will see the return of Indiana Jones to the screen with Harrison Ford reprising his classic role and Steven Spielberg returning to the director’s chair. No mention of George Lucas in the press release issued by Disney so it’s safe to assume, just like Star Wars, he’ll be sitting this one out. But can he be blamed for keeping his distance, or is he being excluded this time around?
Obviously Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t sit right with most fans, and Lucas bares much of that blame. But Ford also seemed tired in the role last time around, seemingly having lost his enthusiasm for unearthing ancient relics. This past December, Star Wars: The Force Awakens proved Ford was up to the task of rekindling some of the joy of Han Solo, but he was mostly used as a side character with an overall calculated feel as to how he was being presented.
The untitled INDY 5 would see him return to the forefront, with a film that demands the character do the heavy lifting. Although rumor is Spielberg is eyeing Chris Pratt to be an instrumental foil to Dr. Jones this time around. Which is more ideal than recasting him as the titular character like we’d feared last year. No one tell Shia. As of the release there isn’t a script written- but here’s hoping they dust off Frank Darabont’s abandoned script and give that a whirl.
In the meantime you can always re-watch the last great Indiana Jones film, The Adventures of Tintin.