In the minds of many, there is one name that is associated with action and adventure: Indiana Jones. While there have been younger incarnations of the character played by different actors, Harrison Ford is the face associated with the Indiana Jones franchise. It's hard to imagine that the series would have lasted as long without him and if the original pick for the role, Tom Selleck, had gotten the part
Ford has been playing the role of Indiana Jones since 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, and in 2023, 42 years after the first film in the franchise, Ford played the role one last time in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny from director James Mangold. The fifth Indiana Jones film has been long-awaited and arrived 15 years after the last film, 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The gap between Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the newest film is almost as long as the gap between The Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yet the desire to see Ford return as the famous archeologist was still there.
Updated July 24, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of Indiana Jone and the Dial of Destiny.
But what happens to the Indiana Jones franchise after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny? All the filmmakers involved have said this will be Ford's last time playing the character, so the common theory is that this will be the last film in the franchise. Will that be the case? Can Indiana Jones as a franchise endure without Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford? Here is what could be in store for the future of the franchise.
Reboot
Batman Begins and Casino Royale premiered in back-to-back years in the mid-2000s, starting a trend where practically every major Hollywood property was given the reboot treatment. A reboot involves throwing out the entire continuity and restarting the franchise with a fresh new approach. While this treatment is sometimes welcome, more often than not it is met by great hesitation from a fanbase that does not want to feel like the past films or their love for them are disregarded.
While Indiana Jones does not have a big, vast, rich mythology between each film, each installment can be viewed with no viewing of the others. The purpose of a reboot would allow a new take on the popular character, reworking elements of the character or even telling new stories with the character, like expanding his relationship and history with characters Marion Ravenwood, Marcus Brody, Sollah, and Belloq.
The biggest obstacle for general audiences and fans would be accepting another actor in the role of Indiana Jones that is not Harrison Ford. Unlike James Bond, who is a literary character and has been played by multiple Bond actors over the past 60 years, Indiana Jones is an original film character tied to Harrison Ford.
Recasting an actor for one of the most iconic characters may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. In 2009, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek introduced a new recast crew of the Starship Enterprise, and characters like Kirk and Spock were as linked to their original actors as Ford is to Indiana Jones. However, audiences accepted Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the cast who now have loyal fans of their own and are eagerly anticipating their return. A new actor, a new approach, and a new look for Indiana Jones may seem hard to imagine, but it is not something that should be ruled out.
Pass The Hat On To A New Character
While the reboot used to be the popular trend, it is the legacy sequel that is now becoming dominant in pop culture, with the exception of animated classics. Lucasfilm has already done this with the Star Wars sequel trilogy. While it seems impossible to hand over the franchise from the titular character, after six movies the Rocky films morphed into the Creed franchise, so it is possible.
The idea of handing the whip and hat to another character has been floated as far back as the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, where many assumed Shia LaBeouf was being positioned to take over the franchise. However, Indy and Marion's son was offed before the fifth film started. Now rumors are circulating that Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will take over the series from Ford. Although now, following the box office disappointment of the film, it appears that might not be an option.
The most interesting possibility, and arguably the most fitting, is to see the return of Short Round to the franchise. Indiana Jones actor Ke Huy Quan, who played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, recently wowed critics and audiences with his performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which marked his return from acting after retiring in the 1990s. The idea of an older Short Round reuniting with Indiana Jones to carry on his good friend's legacy seems like a great way to honor the franchise. Plus, he already has extensive fight training, being a stunt coordinator for decades.
Short Round is a well-liked character. Many fans would be pleased to see his return. Being as the character is already established in the world of Indiana Jones, and he has a pre-sold audience, Lucasfilm could experiment with the formatting and make a new but connected franchise. They could avoid fans directly comparing the new theoretical film with the older ones and the new characters with their predecessors. Short Round already exists as a character, so as long as it is consistent with his character and the world that he exists in, it can be marketed more as a continuation rather than a replacement.
End Indiana Jones
The common assumption is that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be the final chapter in the Indiana Jones series. Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, has already said she has no intention of rebooting the franchise and said Indiana Jones will never be recast. It appears that once Ford is done, the franchise is done. While it is certainly sad to think that there will be no more Indiana Jones movies, that is not necessarily a bad thing.
42 years is an impressive run for a franchise, and in an age of film series that is always continuing, there is something comforting about the idea of knowing sometimes a series can truly end. While it is uncommon, there are plenty of franchises that have remained dormant. After three poorly received Jaws sequels, Universal Pictures has not attempted to revive the property. Back to the Future ended after three films, and that is a beloved trilogy that does not need to be rebooted and still has managed to endure in the public eye as generation after generation has passed them on.
The recent box office disappointment of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny might suggest it is time for Indiana Jones to end. He is one of the most popular movie characters of all time, but he does not have as much pull for modern audiences as he once did. While his original films are beloved, a new generation barely knows Indiana Jones and has no nostalgic connection to him. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a box office hit because the generation that grew up with the original films was old enough to have kids to pass the trilogy down to, but now the franchise has been away so long with only one entry it is likely that audiences didn't have the same emotional connection to it so the new film was not as highly anticipated. The days of Indiana Jones being a box office draw might be over.
While Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was not the ideal chance to finally give the character and the franchise one last goodbye, it is fair to say it was the finale of the franchise. Not everything can sustain going on forever. Sometimes franchises should be allowed to end gracefully. Indiana Jones has had a great ride with many wonderful adventures, and while saying goodbye is hard, the adventures will always be there. Besides, there is always the Young Indy television show to watch between Indiana Jones movie marathons, at least if Disney+ could ever decide to keep it up for more than a day at a time.