WhenIndiana Jones 5hits theaters on June 02, 2025, franchise starHarrison Fordwill be 76 years old—but that doesn’t meanIndy 5spells doom for the titular adventurer. After rumors of reboots and casting replacements swirled,Steven Spielbergconfirmed in March thathe will indeed be returning to directIndiana Jones 5with Ford in the starring role once again, and while the filmmaker has two other movies to make before then, he’s already teasing a bit of the story.
As part of an in-depth and enlightening profile of the director over atTHR, the filmmaker seems to suggest that fans will respond toIndiana Jones 5better than they didIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullwhile also promising that there will be no Indy death scene a laStar Wars: The Force Awakens:
Spielberg says he’s “super excited” about [Indiana Jones 5], dated for July 2019: “I think this one is straight down the pike for the fans.” He won’t reveal plot details, except this: “The one thing I will tell you is I’m not killing off Harrison [Ford] at the end of it.”
Frequent collaboratorDavid Koepp, who pennedJurassic Parkas well asWar of the Worlds,The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and yes,Crystal Skullis on scripting duties, but curiously left out of theIndy 5crew when it was announced wasGeorge Lucas. It remains to be seen if he will return to produce the sequel—tradition follows that Lucas comes up with theIndiana Jonesstories and Spielberg directs—or if he’s really left showbusiness for good. Whatever the case, he and Spielberg remain best buds so I’d be shocked if he wasn’t at least consulting on the project in an unofficial capacity.
Spielberg has made known in subsequent interviews that he’s well awareKingdom of the Crystal Skullwas not up to snuff forIndyfans, and while the sequel is still in the nascent stages, these comments suggest he’s intent on course-correcting the franchise with this new entry. That, and no Indiana Jones death scene.
While some could envisionIndiana Jones 5as a “passing of the torch” movie for a new character to take over the franchise, they tried that withCrystal Skullto less-than-stellar results. I think the best bet is to simply make the bestIndiana Jonesfilm Spielberg can make, and when and if the time comes to revisit the franchise without Ford, reboot it.
But before Spielberg starts production onIndiana Jones 5he’s got quite the full slate. He’s currently getting ready to start filming the blockbuster sci-fi adaptationReady Player One, which will be followed by the historical religious dramaThe Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortarawhich reteams Spielberg with hisLincolnscribeTony Kushner. That film is set to begin filming in early 2017 for release that November, and after he’s wrapped that picture, one imagines he’ll move straight intoIndiana Jones 5—assuming he doesn’t try to squeezeyet another project in there somewhere.
So take heart, fans. You won’t have to see Indiana Jones die onscreen when he cracks the whip once more in the summer of 2019.
