Understandably, there were some pretty mixed emotions when Indiana Jones 5 was finally announced. For one thing, it was great to know that Indy was finally coming back and Harrison Ford would return; but on the other hand David Koepp, who wrote the awful Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was hired to write it. And now as Variety catches up with producer Frank Marshall at CinemaCon, fans are once again going to be split on the update he's provided.
Marshall told the trade that Harrison Ford will be the "only" guy to play Indiana Jones, citing the 'Jason Bourne' movies as an example...
“It’s all about the story. I think both in the ‘Jason Bourne’ series and on ‘Indiana Jones,’ we are not going to do the Bond thing. We think those characters are iconic, and those are the only actors who can play that.”
Let's be honest, nobody wants to see anybody else as Indiana Jones, but is this a realistic promise for Marshall to make? Ford is pretty long in the tooth and there will come a point when Disney needs to reboot the franchise, or find somebody else to play the part. It WILL happen, but right now isn't the time for Marshall or anybody to look that far ahead.
Unfortunately, most were hoping the fifth film would move far far ahead of 'Crystal Skull'; far enough to pretend it didn't exist. However, Marshall actually refers to it as a "continuation" of the 'Crystal Skull' story, which may explain why Koepp was brought on. Uh, does that mean more alien encounters? Indiana Jones in Space? Probably not, and it's unlikely we'll see the return of Shia LaBeouf, but does sound like some plot points will be revisited. Hopefully it means Karen Allen will be back?
Cause for concern? Indiana Jones 5 opens July 19th 2019.
