Disney Could Be Planning An Overly Expansive ‘Indiana Jones’ Universe Like That Of ‘Star Wars’

Disney purchasing Lucasfilm years ago led to a lot of speculation and many fans wondering what would happen with their favorite franchise. Already, there has been much success with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and there is much more to come. Now, it is known that Indiana Jones 5 is happening, and that Harrison Ford will be back to wield the whip, but it appears as if there is much more coming and it could be an expansive universe.

During the Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016, there was a presentation called “Lucasfilm: The Art of Storytelling,” and it was extremely informative. Actually, fans in attendance got a lot more than they bargained for, and it went outside the confines of the Star Wars universe and into another Lucasfilm property.

According to SlashFilm, it was quickly and quietly made known that Lucasfilm and Disney are working on future Star Wars films, as well as those in the Indiana Jones franchise. Yes, there is not going to be just one more film in the world of the hero professor with a whip.

It seems as if they just alluded to a much larger #IndianaJones cinematic universe that goes well beyond one movie #SWCE

— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) July 17, 2016

During the presentation, ILM President Lynwen Brennan was speaking about the work done by the Lucasfilm Story Group which works on the storytelling for the Star Wars franchise. This is how things are kept in order between theatrical films, TV movie, TV series, toys, comic books, and more.

Well, that is when Brennan let a little tidbit possibly slip out regarding the Indiana Jones franchise.

“Kiri [Hart] and her group have mapped out a story and timeline across multiple platforms many years in advance, many exhausting years in advance. … We have a great honor to have responsibility for, so we want to be really careful with that. Not only for Star Wars but with Indiana Jones, which we’re all really excited about as well.”

For those that may not fully grasp the enormous concept detailed in that statement, it essentially means that there are big things to come. It seems as if the Indiana Jones universe could become much bigger and the Story Group may start working on keeping all branches of it in order like they do with Star Wars.

Disney did not originally have the rights to the world of Indiana Jones when they purchased Lucasfilm for a great deal of money. The distribution and marketing rights were eventually acquired from Paramount Pictures, and that is when Indiana Jones 5 was announced with Spielberg and Harrison Ford’s involvement.

It should not be surprising that Disney wants to have the franchise live on past one more film, and it seems like it could end up being much bigger than that.

Now, Indiana Jones may end up branching out into spinoff films, prequels, comic books, TV shows, maybe an animated series, video games, and more. There is a lot to be said for what could come in the future, even though Harrison Ford is aging and won’t be in the role for too much longer.

No matter who you are, this is something to be overly excited about if you’re a fan of Lucasfilm.

Harrison Ford is returning for Indiana Jones 5, and Steven Spielberg has promised the fans that he would not kill off the hero. There is no word on what will happen past the fifth film, but it seems as if Disney has so much more in store for that franchise and wants to make it an expansive, interconnected universe like that of Star Wars. This could lead to years and years of storylines and a lot more Indy than anyone ever expected.

[Image via Lucasfilm]