The minor news of the day: Lucasfilm’s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” is finally coming to Disney+ on December 1. The final chapter in the Indiana Jones story, ‘Dial Of Destiny’ came out at the end of June and grossed $383.9 million worldwide, but failed to crack $175 million domestically and thus was viewed as a disappointment, and Disney reportedly lost $100 million on the film.
But maybe it could be something of a hit on Disney+ in time for the holidays? Time will tell. Perhaps more interesting is the note of proper finality in this new trailer. Lucasfilm also announced “Timeless Heroes,” a feature-length documentary that will showcase the creation of the legendary swashbuckler, will debut simultaneously on Disney+, the trailer of which you can watch below.
Once upon a time (circa 2015), there was talk of an “Indiana Jones” reboot with Chris Pratt being eyed as the man to play the famous archeologist, professor, and adventurer. Pratt, to this day, seems to have never confirmed this, but he hasn’t denied it either (take a look at the non-answers below where he dances around answering and pretends he doesn’t know who Spielberg is).
But the first words we hear in this trailer are from the original director and producer Steven Spielberg, who says, “Harrison [Ford] is not interchangeable. Other actors cannot fill those shoes,” he says pointedly about the Indiana Jones role.
“Only Harrison Ford can play Indiana Jones because he is Indiana Jones,” Phoebe Waller-Bridge reiterates in the trailer.
To me, I always go back to that Happy Sad Confused excerpt, and it seems that at least some conversations were had, but perhaps they were shut down when Ford publicly said that “nobody” could ever be Indiana Jones but him. One has to wonder if those public comments, a few years before “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” took shape, finally put the kibosh on even any creative spitballing.
Hopefully, one day, someone at least fesses up to “Yes, some ideas were thrown around, but ultimately they went nowhere.”
Last we heard, potential “Indiana Jones” spinoffs were on the table. A spinoff series set in the “Indiana Jones” universe was in the works for Disney+ at one point (though it’s rumored to be about Abner Ravenwood). Still, given that Disney+ is pivoting away from TV from their big franchises and back to the big screen, one has to wonder if that’s still in development. Waller-Bridge also hinted that there could be “room for her character” somewhere in the future, but given the underwhelming ‘Dial Of Destiny box office, it’s very unclear if that’s going anywhere.
Here’s more on “Timeless Heroes”
“Timeless Heroes,” directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, explores Harrison Ford’s enduring appeal and his upbringing, including his foray into the entertainment business, his casting in the iconic “Indiana Jones” franchise, and the impact and inspiration generated by the films. It is an in-depth look at an incredible moment in film history when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas assembled an amazing creative team to collaborate on another cinematic benchmark and features never-before-seen footage and interviews with Ford, Spielberg, Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, James Mangold, and many others as well.
Laurent Bouzereau is an award-winning filmmaker and best-selling author. His credits include the HBO feature documentaries “Mama’s Boy,” based on the best-selling memoir by Dustin Lance Black, and “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind” (Sundance 2020), and the acclaimed Netflix/Amblin Television series “Five Came Back” (with Emmy®-winning narration by Meryl Streep), executive produced by Steven Spielberg.