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‘Indiana Jones 5’ director blames ‘basement dwellers’ for spreading rumors of disastrous test screenings

The filmmaker responded in kind to rumors 'Indiana Jones 5' could be in trouble.

indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull
via Lucasfilm

Earlier this week, word began sweeping the internet that Indiana Jones 5 had been holding some preliminary test screenings, and things were not looking good for the long-awaited fifth and final installment in the legendary franchise.

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As the story went, director James Mangold and his team had trialed no less than half a dozen different finales, all of which ended with Phoebe Waller-Bridge inheriting the mantle as the star of the show, and all were roundly rejected. Of course, the online world being what it is, it didn’t take long for word to circle back around and reach the director himself.

We should point out that one of the originators of the scuttlebutt is infamous YouTuber Doomcock, who seems to spend most of their time spouting utter nonsense that always ends up tying back to Kathleen Kennedy in some form or another. As chance would have it, she’s been heavily involved in Indiana Jones 5 from the beginning, with Mangold taking to Twitter to call out the “basement dwellers” who buy into the bullsh*t.

As you can see, Mangold offers that precisely zero test screenings have been held ahead of Indiana Jones 5‘s release next summer, and you’d hope he’d have the ending figured out by now anyway seeing as principal photography initially wrapped in February of this year, with no word on any reshoots.

Clearly he’s felt the need to address the situation head-on, but it just goes to show how quickly things can catch fire on social media, whether there’s an ounce of truth to them or not.