After Kingdom of the Crystal Skull turned out to be one of the most polarizing blockbusters in history, even the staunchest of Indiana Jones fans were wary of a fifth installment.
42 years after Harrison Ford first donned the fedora and cracked the whip, and 14 on from introducing aliens into the mix, the iconic archaeologist is heading back to the big screen on June 30 of next year, with James Mangold taking over from Steven Spielberg behind the camera.
While a teaser trailer was shown to those lucky enough to be in attendance, the word is that the footage will remain exclusive to D23, although it would be safe to assume that it’ll be made available for public consumption eventually. Ford did break down in tears when the sizzle reel had ended, though, so we could be in store for something special given his famous stoic disposition.
“These films are about adventure, but they’re also about heart,” he said. “This is it! I will not fall down for you again!” Take from that what you will…
Nonetheless, speculation is going to run rampant about what the footage could mean in terms of plot, setting, and character, but we can expect the veil of secrecy to remain pretty thick for some time to come given that Indy isn’t embarking on his fifth and final adventure for another nine months and change.
The pandemic, an injury suffered by the leading man that kept him out of action for longer than expected, and a delay of almost a year have already set some alarm bells ringing, so let’s cross our fingers that Ford bows out on a high note when the 80 year-old legend bows out in (hopefully) spectacular fashion.