Indiana Jones 5has been delayed again. Disney and Lucasfilm have been actively working on the project for a couple of years now withSteven Spielbergset to return to the director’s chair, with Harrison Ford coming back for one last go as the iconic action hero. Unfortunately, a couple of recent developments have delayed the production of the sequel for at least a few months, but it could be for as much as a year, according to a new report. One has to wonder, is this movie in trouble at this point?
We’ve been hearing reports that Steven Spielberg is weighing several projects and it looks like he’s moving ahead with hisWest Side Storyremake next, which he is currently in pre-production on. He’s also looking to finally filmThe Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, a historical drama that he’s had in the works for a very long time that has Mark Rylance attached to star, one of his favorite collaborators in recent years. That, coupled with the fact that David Koepp’s draft of the screenplay forIndiana Jones 5is set to be rewritten by Jonathan Kasdan (Solo) makes the April 2019 production start, which was previously announced by Spielberg, not a possibility.
This means Disney and Lucasfilm will have to bump the sequel from its current June 02, 2025 release date. The project was given that date last April after being bumped from its original June 09, 2025 release date. It sounds like we could be looking at a summer 2021 release forIndiana Jones 5at this point. Then again, Lucasfilm has yet to announce aStar Warsmovie for 2020. Maybe Disney will decide to make the nextIndiana Jonesmovie a December 2020 release instead? That’s pure speculation, but that seems like the absolute earliest we could expect it, given the new delay.
One of the biggest problems with this delay, and something that isn’t particularly easy or pleasant to talk about, is that Harrison Ford simply isn’t getting any younger. The actor is 75-years-old right now. It was admirable how well he did withKingdom of the Crystal Skulla decade ago, but even then it was clear he was getting near the end of his rope, or whip in this case, when it comes to making this kind of movie. Not to mention that, as tough as this may be to think about, Ford won’t be with us forever. With each passing delay of this movie, the less likely it becomes he will actually return.
TheIndiana Jonesfranchise will continue without him, possibly even with a female lead, in the future. But Harrison Ford deserves one last shot at redemption afterCrystal Skull. This new report does note that both Spielberg and Ford are committed to the project. As for the new screenplay, Jonathan Kasdan, whose father Lawrence Kasdan penned the script forRaiders of the Lost Ark, will step in to get the story where it needs to be while we wait for word from Disney on a new release date. This news comes to us courtesy ofVariety.
