Indiana Jones 5 has officially been rescheduled for release in 2021. Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, much of their attention has been dedicated to the Star Wars renaissance, but the studio is keen on bringing back the world famous archeologist. Unfortunately, there have been some problems getting the project off the ground. First announced back in 2016Indy 5 has encountered numerous delays on its path to the big screen. For a while, it was slated as Lucasfilm's 2020 tentpole, but that changed recently.

Due to issues with the screenplay, Solo: A Star Wars Story co-writer Jonathan Kasdan will continue to follow his father's footsteps by penning a new draft of the Indy 5 screenplay. As a result, production on the sequel was indefinitely delayed. Thankfully, the setback isn't too severe, and audiences will be reunited with Henry Jones, Jr. soon enough.

Disney announced today that Indiana Jones 5 will premiere on July 9, 2021. Currently, it's set to debut one week after an untitled Illumination Entertainment movie and two weeks before Dungeons and Dragons, meaning Indy 5 is in good position for a successful box office run.

While this means star Harrison Ford will be yet another year older by the time Indiana Jones 5 reaches theaters, it's encouraging Spielberg and company are taking their time with it. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull remains a sore spot for viewers, and since this in all likelihood is Ford's last go-around as the character, everyone involved wants to make sure it lives up to the high bar of the original trilogy. Spielberg himself was disappointed by the way Crystal Skull turned out, so he probably sees Indy 5 as a mulligan of sorts. Considering the legendary director has been involved with the franchise since the beginning, he would love to send Dr. Jones out on the highest of notes.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of Lucasfilm's release schedule shapes up. The studio has never released an Indiana Jones and Star Wars movie in the same calendar year, meaning an extended break could be in order for the galaxy far, far away as numerous projects make their way through development. If Lucasfilm sticks to their one film per year rollout, then it's possible the next wave of Star Wars films won't start until 2022 at the earliest. Ideally, all of this will be cleared up in the very near future and fans can simply count down the days for release instead of worrying about what's next for the galaxy.

MORE: Every Indiana Jones 5 Update You Need To Know

Source: Disney

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