Well, it’s been in the wind for some time now, right? Around the time of “Jurassic World,” it seemed Chris Pratt would be taking over every existing franchise, and it seemed that he was set to take over the “Indiana Jones” franchise. Given all the reporting, it seem pretty legit that there were serious conversations happening to his effect.
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But something changed late last year, when director Steven Spielberg and Disney basically suggested there’s no Indiana Jones without star, Harrison Ford. And they weren’t kidding. Today, Disney announced that Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019 for a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series.
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Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm the as-yet-untitled project with Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.
“Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019,” said Alan Horn, Walt Disney Studios Chairman. “It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.”
The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office. Ford recently reprised his iconic Han Solo role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and with a “Blade Runner” sequel in the works, it appears the 73 year old actor is going to reprise all his classic roles before leaving this mortal coil. What’s next, “Regarding Henry 2” or “Witness: The Witnessing”? No details have been revealed for ‘Indy 5,’ but presumably with a release date locked for three years from now, studio and creative heads at least have an inkling of the basic story. The rest of us will just have to wait and see.