A new installment in theIndiana Jonesfranchise has long been in development. Steven Spielberg was originally attached to directIndiana Jones 5, but was later replaced by James Mangold, best known forLoganandFord v Ferrari. The filmmaker has been quite tight-lipped about what his take on the adventures of the famous archeologist/adventurer will be like, but in a recent tweet, Mangold hinted that the setting of the film might be the 1960s.
“The Velvet Underground are fucking great. That’s it. That’s my tweet. (Note – I’m mentally living in 60’s NYC right now cause that’s whereall the movies I’m working ontake place.)”
The firstIndiana Jonesmovie,Raiders of the Lost Ark, was set in 1936. The next movie was a prequel,The Temple of Doom, which took place in 1935. Then cameThe Last Crusade, which was set during 1938. The biggest time jump occurred in the lastIndiana Jonesfilm to be released,Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, which took place in 1957.
Initially, there were rumors thatHarrison Ford was going to be replacedfor the nextIndiana Jonesadventure. But the actor personally nixed that rumor, confirming that he will be returning to the role for Mangold’s film. Considering Ford’s advanced age, it makes sense that his onscreen age would match up to a close degree, which makes a 1960s setting quite logical.
Aside from the period setting of the movie, little is known about the details ofIndiana Jones 5. But Harrison Ford has made his own feelings about the project clear, explaining in a past interview that the goal is to make this the best film in the franchise.
“I don’t really want to give [fans] what they want to see, I want to give them something they didn’t anticipate. They are used to a degree of disappointment when you revisit. Certainly, the Marvel movies have made a spectacular example of a success [that] worked the other way around. They killed it! Well, we’re not going to make another Indiana Jones unless we are in a position to kill it. We want it to be the best.”
Ford’s desire to make his lastIndiana Jonesmovie the best one yet finds a strong echo in Mangold’s previous blockbusterLogan, which was Hugh Jackman’s last movie as Wolverine, and which is generally acknowledged to be the best movie in theX-Menseries. For his part, Mangold had previously stated that his aim while making a franchise movie is to combine thecomfortingly familiar with the excitingly unexpected.
“I’m always trying to find an emotional center to operate from. I think the most important thing is, in an age when franchises have become a commodity, that serving the same thing again. At least for me, in the dances I’ve had with any franchises, serving the same thing again, the same way, usually just produces a longing for the first time you ate it. Meaning, it makes an audience wish that they just had the first one over again. So you have to push something to someplace new, while also remembering the core reasons why everyone was gathered. And to use Logan as an example of that, when you’re dealing in a world of a very pressured franchise.”
Directed and written byJames Mangoldand starring Harrison Ford, the currently untitled fifthIndiana Jonesfilm is set to be released on August 16, 2025.
