Indiana Jones 5 may finally be going forward, but without the iconic director of the previous four films. According to Variety, Stephen Spielberg has stepped down as the director of the next Indiana Jones film. However, Disney and Lucasfilm reportedly already have a candidate in mind to replace Spielberg: James Mangold.
Mangold is said to be in talks for Indiana Jones 5, but a deal has not been closed yet. Mangold already has two X-Men related movies to his credit: The Wolverine and Logan. Mangold’s latest film, Ford v Ferrari, earned a few Oscar nominations. Ford v Ferrari was also one of the few Fox films that was a domestic hit last year.
Despite Spielberg’s decision, Variety notes that he will “remain as a hands-on producer.” The report also states that Spielberg made the decision to step down “in a desire to pass along Indy’s whip to a new generation to bring their perspective to the story.” Spielberg and George Lucas created Indiana Jones for their first collaboration, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The duo stayed together for three sequels to the film. If Speilberg does step down, this will be the first Indy film without Lucas and Spielberg in the primary creative roles.
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Last week, Harrison Ford reconfirmed his return for Indiana Jones 5 and claimed that filming would begin in “about two months.” But with a new director and no other cast members confirmed, that may be a tall order. The fifth Indiana Jones film has been on Disney’s agenda since 2016. However, it was bumped from its 2019 release date after getting stuck in development. Disney currently has the film slated for July 9, 2021. But that could change again.
Indiana Jones 5 featured a script by Jonathan Kasdan, the co-writer of Solo: A Star Wars Story. But David Koepp (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) is currently writing a new draft.
How do you feel about James Mangold potentially taking the reigns of Indiana Jones 5? Let us know in the comment section below!
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