Reboots of long-standing popular franchises have always been a touchy subject, especially around the iconic character of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones. Before Ford’s return for the yet-to-be-titled Indiana Jones 5, there were rumors that a franchise reboot was being considered, with a new actor taking on the role of the adventuring archeology professor. Those rumors resurfaced early in 2021, and included one centering star of the moment Chris Pratt in the running for the role if Lucasfilm decided to restart the franchise after Harrison Ford’s final bow. However, Pratt has now debunked those rumors, confessing that a quote he saw by Ford was enough to scare him off the role.
Chris Pratt has been on quite a run this year, having continued to be a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Jurassic World franchise, his own series The Terminal List, and with voice-over roles in eagerly awaited animated reboots of Super Mario Bros. and Garfield. While it would not be too much of a stretch to think that he would be potentially in the frame as an Indiana Jones replacement, he told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that there is no way he would want to take on the role to be “haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford.” He said:
“I don’t even know who Steven Spielberg is. Who? Steven Who? No, aren’t they doing ‘Indiana Jones’ with Harrison Ford? All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford and I don’t even know if it was really him but it was enough to scare me, that was like, ‘When I die, Indiana Jones dies.’ And I’m like, am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play…?”
Harrison Ford Is Indiana Jones and It Seems Likely to Stay That Way
No one can play a role forever, and at his age, Ford is well aware that his latest outing as Indiana Jones will be his last. While that would usually start studios hunting out new blood to be the next incarnation of a character, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy has already said there will not be a recasting of the role, and Ford has made his feelings clear on the matter. In the quote from Ford’s appearance on Today back in 2019, the one that Pratt referred to in his comments, Ford said, “I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy.”
Of course, that is something that could end up changing in a few decades' time, but it seems for now that the legacy of Indiana Jones is safe from the dreaded Hollywood reboot machine. Indiana Jones 5 has been delayed a number of times between Covid pandemic shutdowns and injuries to its lead star, but Indy’s final outing seems to have finally decided on a release date of June 30, 2023. While the long delay could be a concern, this summer’s Top Gun: Maverick has proven that sometimes good things come to those who wait, and fans will be hoping that is the case with Harrison Ford’s last appearance as Indiana Jones.