Director James Mangold, fresh of the success of Ford v. Ferrari and Logan, is currently still in negotiations to direct Indiana Jones 5. Which has yet to be formally named but is now eyeing a July 2022 release date.
Re-Adjusting To Crisis
In response to the international coronavirus pandemic all major studios have had to shuffle their release and production schedules. Not just for this year but for the next three years or so. Some projects have been pushed by only a few months, some have been moved to next year, some will go direct to streaming, while some projects have been delayed indefinitely. Today Disney and all of its subsidiaries released their newly updated release schedule. Everything Marvel has been pushed back a few months while Artemis Fowl is going straight to Disney+. Indiana Jones 5 has been moved an entire year from July 9th 2021 to July 29th 2022. But that’s not the only update on the project.
Who’s Captaining The Ship?
Indiana Jones 5 was first announced in 2016. Harrison Ford, despite recasting rumors, and Steven Spielberg were set to return to star and direct respectively. David Koepp signed on to write the script. Unfortunately numerous delays caused progress on the film to stall. First Harrison Ford’s Star Wars commitments, then Steven Spielberg’s numerous projects including West Side Story. The project was delayed further when David Koepp left and Jonathan Kasdan replaced him. February brought the news that that Steven Spielberg was stepping down as director and that Disney was in negotiations with James Mangold to take over. The latest update is that Mangold is currently still in negotiations. Locking down the final details of his contract. Manggold is a great choice to direct since he has previous blockbuster experience and has made the kind of grittier pulpy films that Indiana Jones shares DNA with.
Expectations
Indiana Jones: and the Raiders of the Lost Ark is widely considered one of the greatest films of all times, and its first two sequels are pretty beloved as well. The fourth film however was a box office disappointment and was a miss with fans and critics. Despite reuniting George Lucas writing, Steven Spielberg directing and Harrison Ford as Indy.
An Indiana Jones 5 was always up in the air but became more of a priority when Disney purchased Lucasfilm. Many are excited for the idea of another Indiana Jones film but some are skeptical about seventy-seven year old Harrison playing the role. Especially after Ford made it clear that no one would be playing the role while he was still alive. Changing up the writer was a step in the right direction and bringing on a new director is even better. Especially one as qualified as James Mangold.
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