Indiana Jones 5 may contain a flashback with a younger version of the title character, according to new set photos. After much delay, production on the fifth and final Indiana Jones movie is finally underway just as the celebration for the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark hits. James Mangold is set to direct the film and will see Harrison Ford return as the world-famous archeologist.
Much like the previous film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the filmmakers have been very secretive about what information gets out about the latest film. Currently, all fans know about the film is that actors like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, and Shaunette Renée Wilson have joined the cast in unspecified roles. By the time the film opens in theaters in 2022, Ford will be 80 years old, meaning there will be a time jump for the character.
However, recent set photos may hint at a scene in the film featuring a younger version of Indiana Jones. New set photos uncovered by The Daily Mail show that while filming on The North Yorkshire Moors, a stunt double was spotted wearing a mask of a younger Harrison Ford. The set vehicle spotted featured a Nazi steam engine suggesting the scene takes place during World War 2.
The idea that Disney and Lucasfilm would feature a de-aged Indiana Jones isn't out of the realm of possibility. Starting with Tron: Legacy, Disney started experimenting with digitally de-aging their actors to play younger incarnations of their characters. They implemented the technology for a younger version of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and many films in the MCU, like Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel, also utilized this technology. Most recently, it allowed Mark Hamill to reprise his role of Luke Skywalker looking like he did in Return of the Jedi in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian.
The scene being filmed could very much be the opening of the film, calling back to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade opening on a young Indiana Jones (there played by River Phoenix). Now a younger version of Indiana Jones is the character from the original trilogy of films, and the adventure Indiana Jones is on could set the main plot of the film in motion. With Indiana Jones 5 set to be the final film in the franchise, a flashback sequence with the version of the character fighting Nazis is a nice note to remind the audience how far the franchise has come and what the future holds.
Source: The Daily Mail
