While Disney and LucasFilm are keeping plenty busy with their massiveStar Warsfranchise, plans are also in the works forIndiana Jones 5, which will start production at some point in 2019. This falls in line with a report from last week, which revealed that both thisIndiana Jones sequel and West Side Storyare director Steven Spielberg’s next films. A new report claims the filmmaker will begin production onIndy 5next year, and then move directly intoWest Side Story, though it isn’t clear if that second project will also be shot in 2019, or if it will be held until 2020.
We haven’t heard much onIndiana Jones 5over the past year, although Disney did hand out aJuly 10, 2020 release datefor this adventure last April. And they are apparently standing by that date. Producer Frank Marshall revealed back in December 2016 that the sequel didn’t have a script yet, but it has been confirmed thatIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullwriter David Koepp had been tasked with writing the sequel. We later learned in September 2017 that a script had been completed, but it isn’t known if revisions are under way. What’s interesting is, even though Spielberg will tackleWest Side StoryafterIndiana Jones 5, new casting calls for the musical have already been sent out, and it remains to be seen if casting has even begun onIndiana Jones 5yet.
There has been speculation that Karen Allen may not be back asMarion RavenwoodinIndiana Jones 5, after the actress revealed in an April 2017 interview that, “it’s a complete mystery to me as to whether or not Marion is even a part of this next one.” Since Marion and Indy (Harrison Ford) finally got married at the end of the last Indy movie, 2008’sIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it seems likely that Marion Ravenwood would, at the very least, have a small role to show how they’ve have come along as husband and wife. There has also been confirmation that another divisive character will not return.
The report from last September that revealed theIndiana Jones 5script is done, also confirmed that Shia LaBeouf’sMutt Williamswill not be a part of the story. That isn’t exactly surprising, given the fan reaction to this character inIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which hit theaters just a year after Shia LaBeouf’s breakthrough role inTransformers, which Steven Spielberg also produced, along with directing and producingKingdom of the Crystal Skull. It has been confirmed that John Williams will provide the score forIndiana Jones 5.
What’s interesting aboutIndiana Jones 5is confirmation from October 2016 thatGeorge Lucas isn’t returningfor this sequel. George Lucas has received story credit on all four of the previousIndiana Jonesmovies, but that won’t happen this time. Disney didn’t originally have the rights to theIndiana Jonesfranchise when it purchased LucasFilm, but it obtained the rights from Paramount back in 2013, just over a year after it paid a whopping $4 billion to acquire LucasFilm in 2012. Head on over toThe Hollywood Reporterfor more onIndiana Jones 5.
