Ever since Disney purchased all of Lucasfilm for more than $4 billion back in 2012, virtually every shred of focus has been devoted to what that means for theStar Warsfranchise. But Disney bought all of Lucasfilm, and that just so happened to also includeIndiana Jones, which the studio also has some big plans for. They have already announced a new sequel to be directed bySteven Spielbergand once again starringHarrison Forddue out in 2019, but it looks like the studio may have something much larger planned.
Over the weekend, Disney held their annualStar Warscentric fan event,Star WarsCelebration, which took place in London and was almost entirely focused on all things related to a galaxy far far away. Almost. A panel called “The Art Of Storytelling,” which focused on the Lucasfilm Story Group, who are in charge of planning out future stories and keeping continuity straight across all of the various forms of media these stories are told in revealed what Disney may be thinking in terms ofIndiana Jonesin the future.Colliderwas on hand for the panel, and according to their report, ILM PresidentLynwen Brennantook a break from talkingStar Warsto drop the interesting bit aboutIndiana Jones.
“Kiri [Hart] and her group have mapped out a story and timeline across multiple platforms many years in advance, many exhausting years in advance. … We have a great honor to have responsibility for, so we want to be really careful with that. Not only for Star Wars but with Indiana Jones, which we’re all really excited about as well.”
We know thatStar Warsis currently being milked for absolutely everything it is worth, with Disney currently working on and releasing nearly countless TV shows, movies, comic books, novels and video games based on the property. But based on whatBrennansaid, it looks like the studio may very well have similar plans forIndiana Jones. This isn’t the first that we have heard about Disney having larger plans for the character either. Last month, Disney CEOBob Igeralso made a comment that alluded to something like this in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“Not like Star Wars, but we hope… right now, we’re focused on a reboot, or a continuum and then a reboot of some sort. Well, we’ll bring him back, then we have to figure out what comes next. That’s what I mean. It’s not really a reboot, it’s a boot - a reboot. I don’t know. We [got]Harrison Fordas Indiana Jones in the film. But then what’s the direction? I’ve had discussions about what the direction is, [but] I don’t want to get into it. I don’t think it reaches the scale of the universe of Star Wars, but I see making more. It won’t be just a one-off.”
It makes sense that the studio would want to expand on the universe that the iconicHarrison Fordcharacter occupies, and the franchise can’t rest on his shoulders much longer.Fordjust turned 74, and afterIndiana Jones 5, it is hard to imagine he will have much gas left in the tank, especially considering the action heavy nature of the franchise. So, if Disney wants to continue, they will have to do a “boot” of some sort, asIgerput it. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they will have to recast the role ofIndythough. But they did just castAlden Ehrenreichas young Han Solo, so it isn’t totally out of the question. MaybeEhrenreichcould end up taking on both roles likeForddid?
Steven Spielbergand other Disney brass have stated that they have no desire to see anyone other thanFordplay the character, so if that ends up being the case, that leaves us in a place where all we can do is speculate as to what else they have planned. Perhaps they will center spin off movies on other archeologists and/or adventurers set in the same universe? Or maybe they will bring backShia LaBeoufas Mutt for his own adventure? Disney is pretty smart, so based on the collective groan thatKingdom of the Crystal Skullinduced by theIndiana Jonesfan base, that isn’t very likely. That being said, it seems inevitable thatIndiana Jones 5won’t be the last we see of the franchise.Indiana Jones 5is set for release on August 16, 2025.
