Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has explained why Harrison Ford will never be replaced as Indiana Jones.
In an interview with Vanity Fair about Lucasfilm's upcoming slate of Star Wars shows, Kennedy expressed regret over recasting Ford's iconic role of Han Solo with Alden Ehrenreich for the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story. "So yeah. There should be moments along the way when you learn things. That may have certainly been a learning moment. Some people have talked about how, well, maybe Solo should have been a TV show. But even doing Solo as a TV show without Harrison Ford as Han Solo... it's the same thinking," she said. Kennedy then explained that the same logic applied to Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones franchise. "Maybe I should have recognized this before. We would never make Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford. Having just finished the fifth movie, I can tell you, there wasn't a day I wasn't on set where I wasn't like, 'Yes -- this is Indiana Jones.'"
Ford first appeared as Dr. Henry Jones, Jr./Indiana Jones in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. The actor reprised the role in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Ford recently wrapped filming on the fifth film in the franchise, which will mark the last time he plays Indiana Jones.
Indiana Jones 5, which may or may not be titled Indy, has been in development since 2016. Steven Spielberg, who directed the first four films, was originally attached to return as the director of Indiana Jones 5, but stepped down in early 2020. He remains attached as an executive producer. Logan director James Mangold was later hired to helm the upcoming sequel as well as co-write a new script.
Lucasfilm and Disney have not released any official plot details at this time, but reliable rumors have suggested the fifth film will be set in the 1960s and revolve around the Space Race between the United States and Soviet Union. Set photos have also shown Ford in costume with motion-capture dots on his face, which have led some fans to believe the fifth film will include time travel or flashbacks and that the scenes being filmed will include a digitally de-aged Ford.
Indiana Jones 5 features an ensemble cast that includes Ford, Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones and Thomas Kretschmann, with Mads Mikkelsen set to play an ex-Nazi scientist currently working for NASA. The film is currently scheduled to open in theaters on June 30, 2023.
Source: Vanity Fair