It’s Official: Disney Will Release ‘Indiana Jones 5’ in 2019

When Disney acquired the LucasFilm library in 2012, all of the emphasis was on the Star Wars franchise. The film series, which had seemed all but concluded after the release of Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith, was to be resurrected by the multimedia monolith as a new, far-reaching universe of content. But the rest of LucasFilm’s properties were a big question mark. What about Howard the Duck? What about The Radioland Murders? What about Indiana Jones?

Today, after years of rumors and speculation, Disney announced this about Indiana Jones: he’s coming on July 19, 2019. The as-yet-untitled fifth Indiana Jones movie will reunite director Steven Spielberg, leading man Harrison Ford, and producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

We all knew this was coming. Indiana Jones is too big a name for Disney to ignore, and although fans have wondered when another actor will take over the iconic fedora from Harrison Ford, the monster success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens proves that he’s still got a lot of life in him and audiences want to see the original stars of the original classics do their original thing.

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But there are a few names missing from this announcement, particularly the name of George Lucas, who produced all four of the original Indiana Jones movies. He took a backseat as Disney rebooted his Star Wars series but with so many of the original cast and crew back on board for a new Indiana Jones, it seemed possible that he might at least return in an advisory capacity. But his name is nowhere to be found in the press release (below).

There doesn’t appear to be a script for this movie yet, so any more casting news would probably be premature, but after the events of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – which left Indiana Jones married with an adult son, who seemed eager to take up his father’s mantle – it’s interesting that neither Karen Allen or Shia LaBeouf (who played his wife and son, respectively) are mentioned here either.

Disney’s continuation of the Indiana Jones movies might raise even more questions as development proceeds. Although the character didn’t have as extensive an “expanded universe” as the Star Wars characters, he did star in the 28-episode The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which may or may not be considered canon by the franchise’s new owners. (That series showed that Indiana Jones was still alive in the 1990s, sporting an eyepatch.) Disney disavowed the expanded Star Wars universe and may choose to do so once again here.

From the Press Release:

Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019, for a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series. Steven Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm the as-yet-untitled project with star Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.

“Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.”

Famed archaeologist and explorer Indiana Jones was introduced in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark – one of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time – and later thrilled audiences in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office.

Top Photo: LucasFilm

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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