The future of the "Indiana Jones" franchise has been open to much speculation and rumor over the past little while. Chris Pratt and Robert Pattinson rumored as new leads for a possible reboot, but that chatter was never really based in reality (both actors denied anyone from Disney or Lucasfilm actually talked to them about the gig). But the buzz arose anew recently when Steven Spielberg said he’d be making a fifth installment with Harrison Ford returning in the title role. And according to producer Frank Marshall, he has no interest in another actor cracking the whip or taking Indiana’s name.
“[We’re] not doing the Bond thing where we’re going to call somebody else Indiana Jones… we have to figure this out,” he told Total Film (via Den Of Geek) about the plans for the franchise, which he admits are still nascent.
“There are a lot of rumours. We haven’t even sat down to talk about Indy yet… at some point we’ll sit down. But there’s a bunch of people who could probably take the baton,” he added.
Indeed, Kathleen Kennedy has said as much about the series, that the conversations haven’t started, but one has to wonder if indeed there can be an "Indiana Jones" movie without, well, Indiana Jones. I don’t think you spend $4 billion and change on Lucasfilm only to have the character retired with Harrison Ford. Granted, a baton pass can be done, and it would be tricky, but the whole value of the brand likes in the name Indiana Jones. One only has to look at another Marshall produced property, "The Bourne Legacy," to see how audiences responded without Jason Bourne played by Matt Damon in the lead role — and that’s even with the name Bourne in the title.
How do you think the Indiana Jones franchise should continue — or should it at all? Let us know below.
