Seeing as Harrison Ford is about to enter the Marvel universe himself, I guess it’s only fair that two MCU veterans the studio kicked to the curb earlier this decade should team up to make their own Indiana Jones movie, with none other than Guy Ritchie behind the camera.
Despite the general meh-ness of The Dial of Destiny, the world still loves all things Indiana Jones as much as ever, as proven by the enormous acclaim the new video game The Great Circle is accruing. Ford appears to have hung up his fedora and whip for good, and Disney is probably thinking hard for a way to extend the franchise without him. In the absence of an official new Indy film, Ritchie has stepped in to offer up his own copyright-skimming homage starring none other than Mr. Fantastic and the Mighty Thor herself.
Guy Ritchie, John Krasinski, and Natalie Portman are teaming up to go find the Fountain of Youth
First look at Guy Ritchie’s new film ‘FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH’, starring John Krasinski, Eiza González and Natalie Portman.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 17, 2024
Described as a contemporary ‘Indiana Jones’, the film follows siblings who partner on a global heist to find the mythical Fountain of Youth.
(Source: @EW) pic.twitter.com/VwNvFLNL08
Since making the most financially successful movie of his career with 2019’s Aladdin remake, Ritchie has returned to his bread and butter — pumping out mid-budget actioners that generally star Jason Statham — but next year he’s returning to the family-friendly world with Fountain of Youth, which is described as a “contemporary Indiana Jones” adventure.
Entertainment Weekly has revealed some first-look images from the film, which stars John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, and Eiza Gonzales (reuniting with Ritchie after 2024’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare). This is the first time Krasinski and Portman have worked with either Ritchie or each other, although they both have a very specific shared experience of being killed off by Marvel in 2022 — see Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Fountain of Youth is described as a “family-friendly action-adventure film” that is “in the vein of Indiana Jones but contemporary.” It follows two estranged siblings, Luke (Krasinski) and Charlotte (Portman) Purdue, who partner on a global heist to find the eponymous mythical spring. Luke is said to be an “adventurous (and somewhat reckless) spirit” who has followed in his parents’ archaeological footsteps while Charlotte has put the past behind her and has “chosen a more stable life,” although she’s “thrust back into adventure” when her brother comes a-knocking.
Honestly, with its main cast of characters comprising two mismatched siblings pairing up with what looks to be a cool, action hero expert in the form of Gonzales, Fountain of Youth is sounding more like a redo of The Mummy than Indiana Jones. And considering how poorly the last one of those turned out that’s a little concerning. Dwayne Johnson’s Jungle Cruise also attempted to recapture that Mummy magic but similarly fell far short.
Still, if you catch him on a good day — Sherlock Homes and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., not King Arthur — Ritchie is the safest pair of hands to entrust relaunching a classic movie format in a fresh, thrilling way so Fountain of Youth may turn out to be just what the doctor (Henry Jones) ordered. It’s yet to be handed a specific release date, but we know it’s coming to Apple TV Plus sometime in 2025.
Published: Dec 17, 2024 03:33 pm