‘Indiana Jones 5’ Producer Says Harrison Ford Owns That Role

The role of Indiana Jones has always belonged to Harrison Ford, and the producer of the upcoming fifth installment of the Indiana Jones films, Frank Marshall, has promised that will remain true far into the future. While rumors have circulated the unnamed Indiana Jones 5 film stating that Chris Pratt and Idris Elba would play the fabled Dr. Jones in the fourth sequel, Marshall says that is simply not so, suggesting that such rumors have absolutely no basis in fact.

Indiana Jones Will Not Be Another James Bond

While the character of Indiana Jones may be as iconic as that of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, the producer of the newest Indiana Jones film says that’s where the similarities end, adding that the studio won’t be opening up the role to younger actors in the future. In spite of suggestions that Chris Pratt and Idris Elba are among a list of potential actors to take up the iconic character, Marshall says the role has always belonged to Harrison Ford and always will belong to Ford.

“Both in the Jason Bourne series and on Indiana Jones, we are not going to do the Bond thing,” said Marshall as he accepted the Producer of the Decade award at CinemaCon. “We think those characters are iconic, and those are the only actors who can play that.”

Marshall was reluctant to say too much more about Indiana Jones 5, pointing out that the sequel was just coming together with deals having only recently been finalized between essential cast and crew members and studio executives. The Indiana Jones 5 producer acknowledged that the planned 2019 release date would put Ford at 75 or 76 years old by the time the film hits theaters, but also pointed out that Harrison wasn’t too old to deliver excellent performances in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

Frank Marshall Teases Indiana Jones And The…

As Marshall has stated, the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones series is just getting underway, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to be revealed about the upcoming sequel. Most importantly, we already know that Harrison Ford will be back in the title role and, really, just knowing that Harrison will be back playing the famed Indiana Jones is enough to satisfy fans for the time being. Additionally, Steven Spielberg is also confirmed to direct the new film. While having both Harrison and Spielberg back together would make it seem the fifth film will have that same old magic, there is concern that George Lucas hasn’t confirmed his return.

While Marshall couldn’t reveal much about the plot, he did say the sequel would be a “continuation” of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. The Indiana Jones producer may have been intentionally vague with this, leaving fans to speculate for months, until that all too important first teaser is released. This would seem to imply that the Harrison Ford driven sequel will be just that, containing elements of the previous film or possibly expanding that same story arc, turning Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull into a two-part epic adventure. On the other hand, Marshall may really have no idea on where he wants to take Indiana Jones 5 at this time, only certain that the story will take place after the events of The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

Whatever the story, the base fact that Harrison Ford will be back in front of the camera and Steven Spielberg will be taking the lead behind the scenes indicates a sequel worthy of the excitement that news of a new Indiana Jones sequel is undoubtedly generating with fans.

The currently untitled Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to hit theaters on July 19, 2019.

[Image by Paramount Pictures]