Indiana Jones 5 will end the action-adventure franchise after more than 40 years, which is good for the Indiana Jones series and its legacy. Harrison Ford is returning to his signature role one last time as Dr. Jones, though franchise director Steven Spielberg has stepped into a producer role, and James Mangold (Logan, Ford V Ferrari) is calling the shots. Fellow producer and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has stated that they won't make Indiana Jones movies without Ford, meaning that Indiana Jones 5 will be the last movie in the franchise.
The idea of Indiana Jones 5 had been bandied about since the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, but George Lucas couldn’t find a good enough story for the archaeologist worthy of the franchise. When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 talk began again, but it wasn’t till James Mangold signed on in 2020 that the movie really began to come together. Little is known about Indiana Jones 5, but filming has ended and the movie is now in post-production.
By the time Indiana Jones 5 is released next summer, Raiders of the Lost Ark will be 42 years old, and Harrison Ford will be almost 80. He's in great shape for his age and will do doubt once again show people he's still got it. However, there is a limit to how long even he can continue to play an action hero like Indiana Jones. Realistically, even if all parties were willing to attempt Indiana Jones 6 straight away, given long the gaps have been between the last two adventures there is little chance Ford could continue in the role into his 80s. Drawing a definitive line under the franchise and (hopefully) bowing out on a high note is a good way to end one of the best movie series ever made.
Kathleen Kennedy is right that Indiana Jones shouldn't be recast, or rebooted, or at least not yet. Unlike other movie characters like Batman or James Bond which were adapted from other sources, Indiana Jones didn't exist in any other medium prior to the movies. Indy was created for the screen by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and brought to life by Harrison Ford. He is Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones 5 will apparently feature a de-aged Harrison Ford as a younger version of Indy. While that's interesting as a storytelling device in flashback scenes, it wouldn't work for an entire movie. Besides, having Indiana Jones 5 be the last movie in the franchise makes it more of an event, and extra special for fans that were too young (or not even born) when the previous movies were released.
While it’s good that Lucasfilm isn't planning an Indiana Jones reboot, from a business perspective, it's unlikely that Disney will sit on the franchise indefinitely given the popularity of the IP (but hopefully, that day is a long way off). In the meantime, there is scope for the Indiana Jones franchise to live on in other ways. Spinoffs are a possibility, or a Disney+ show that updates the concept of the Young Indiana Jones TV series that Lucas made in the 90s. However Indy’s story ends in Indiana Jones 5, in Mangold's safe hands there is every confidence he can deliver a great last movie for the Franchise to end with.
