Corresponding with the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Lucasfilm and ACME Archives commissioned a Netherland-based artist and animator, Patrick Schoenmaker, to create a snazzy art print [see above] envisioning Dr. Jones as an animated hero. While the official collaboration ended there, Schoenmaker was so excited by the potential of an animated Indiana Jones, he took it upon himself to make it a reality and has been hard at work since.

While Lucasfilm and Disney do have a fifth Indiana Jones film lined up for 2019, it sounds like Schoenmaker's unofficial and long-in-development fan film, The Adventures of Indiana Jones, will be hitting us well before then.

Via /Film, the unofficial Tumblr account "From Director Steven Spielberg" has revealed an image teasing that The Adventures of Indiana Jones will arise from the tomb of development for an online release on September 29th.

Animated The Adventures of Indiana Jones Release Date

Schoenmaker recently discussed his investment in the project on his personal site:

"Indiana Jones must have been my first true movie hero ever since I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark on a VCR way back when. Yes, some other heroes came and went, but Indy always held a special place. After Crystal Skull was released, my love for the character was once again fully ignited and with no new movies on the horizon back then, I decided to set up an Indiana Jones project of my own to keep the fire burning a little bit longer. So, that was back in 2011 and 'a little bit longer' turned into 5 years of hard work. The end of the project is finally in sight."

While it's uncertain how long the fan film will be or what the plot will entail, we can make some educated guesses from the concept art Schoenmaker has collected over the years. Here are just a few examples of his enticing work:

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - Animated movie poster

Animated Adventures of Indiana Jones - Tomb Raiding

Animated Adventures of Indiana Jones - Choices

Animated Adventures of Indiana Jones Characters

Animated Adventures of Indiana Jones - Nazis

With any luck, Schoenmaker's end result will be promising enough to make Disney and Lucasfilm consider taking an animated Indiana Jones to the big screen (or at least television). It may be a way to sidestep the unpleasant thought of re-casting the prolific but aging Harrison Ford before they decide where to take the series next.

Stay tuned to Screen Rant for updates on all things Indiana Jones as they hit.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones animated fan film will be available online September 29th, 2016. Indiana Jones 5 will open in U.S. theaters on July 19th, 2019.

Source: Tumblr, patrickschoenmaker.com via /Film