Indiana Jones 5is amassing quite the cast, despite details of the plot being kept hidden for the time being. The currently untitled fifth movie in theIndiana Jonesfranchise, which began in 1981 withRaiders of the Lost Ark, is set to have it’s release in July, 2022. It is the first installment in the action-adventure series in over fourteen years, since the release ofIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(2008), which received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike.
It has been announced that actorThomas Kretschmann, the German-born actor that portrayed the villainous Baron von Strucker in possession of Loki’s staff in Marvel’s 2015MCUinstallmentAvengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain Wilm Hosenfeld in Roman Polanski’sThe Pianist(2002), has been cast in the upcomingIndiana Jonesmovie. Whether Kretschmann will play a hero or villain is to be determined, as the role is currently undisclosed. Kretschmann has also starred in films such as Peter Jackson’sKing Kong(2005), Guillermo del Toro’sBlade II(2002), and even lent his voice to Pixar’sCars 2(2011).
Indiana Jones 5is the first film in the series tonot have director Steven Spielberg at the helm, who stepped down in February of 2020 after stating he wanted to pass along the character of Indy to a new generation. Subsequently, James Mangold (Logan, Ford v. Ferrari) was attached to write and direct, with Spielberg in the producer’s chair. Mangold is reported to be writing the film with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, who previously worked with Mangold on the script of award-nominatedFord v. Ferrari.
More recently, Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) were cast to star in Mangold’sIndiana Jonesfilm alongside Harrison Ford, reprising the role of thewhip-wielding archaeologist/adventuristfor the fifth time in forty years. Waller-Bridge and Mikkelsen have made names for themselves with the former’s 2019 Emmy-winning seriesFleabag,and the latter’s 2021 Academy Award-nominated filmAnother Round. Their roles in the upcoming Indy flick, however, remain unknown as well.
The fifth installment in the Lucasfilm franchise certainly has a lot of buzz around it already, considering it is the longest-recurring character Harrison Ford has portrayed in the entirety of his career (beatingHan Soloby three years, and Rick Deckard by six), and will most likely be the final time we get to see Ford don the familiar fedora. However, with a successful director like James Mangold at the helm, anda cast comprising of Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the recent addition of Thomas Kretschmann, the latest (and possibly last) installment in theIndiana Jonessaga is sure to be a hit at box-offices worldwide.
It is too early to say what the addition of Kretschmann’s addition to the cast means for the plot of the fifthIndiana Jonesand the legacy Spielberg built in 1981, but we can only assume more details will arise closer to it’s July 2022 release date.
