Filming on Indiana Jones 5 wrapped in February 2022, with fans hoping the new movie recaptures the magic of the original trilogy. Lessons learned from stumbles in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull could go a long way in returning the storied franchise to its classic fortune and glory.
Original creators Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have already departed from the Indiana Jones landscape, leaving the franchise's uncertain future in the hands of Disney. With the end of Harrison Ford's tenure in sight and unhappy about an eventual Disney reboot, Indy fans want (and need) Indiana Jones 5 to return to its old school form if this is to be its last installment.
One Last, Great Indy Hurrah
In the last movie, Harrison Ford just about emerged from his latest tango with the brown fedora relatively intact after fans discovered that he had injured his shoulder while rehearsing for a fight (via People). The endearingly clumsy Ford has always gotten banged up on movie sets, including Raiders of the Lost Ark (torn ACL), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (herniated disc), The Fugitive (knee) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (squished with a broken leg), as reported by Newsweek.
Given the amount of injuries he has sustained over the years, it wouldn't be surprising if Ford decides that he doesn't want to keep playing the role anymore. However, if it is to be the last then fans are only hoping that Ford and Indy get a spectacularly good farewell as it is what they deserve.
Time Warp, Yeah
If Indiana Jones 5 takes place allegedly in a 1960s setting (via CBR), then Dr. Jones would be about 65-70 years old. Roughly moving along with Indy's screen age, Crystal Skull was set in 1957 during the Cold War, so it'll be no surprise if Indy 5 lands squarely in the swinging '60s. That era choice, however, would be a mistake.
Fans instinctively felt that the UFO-secreted and atomic bomb harshness of the more modern Crystal Skull generated a cold backdrop inconsistent with the tone of the original trilogy. Yet fans can see a silver lining in Indiana Jones 5: production leaks are hinting at some sort of time travel storyline that involves the character going back to World War 2.
A Return to Casablanca
It's no surprise that Indiana Jones 5 might make a U-turn back to the successful 1930-40s settings of its original trilogy. It's sort of similar to the way Spielberg and Lucas returned to the Raiders formula to steer Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade away from critical speedbumps they encountered with the release of Temple of Doom.
Indiana Jones films do not vibe with hard science, paranoia, and disillusioned ideologies: Indy's gruff idealism, rollicking in the romantic milieu of the sepia-toned 1930s and 1940s, Casablanca-style, allows the iconic Indiana Jones characters and the story to perform the movie magic they need inside the Saturday afternoon matinee sensibilities of the franchise.
Diverse Casting
In the past, The Indiana Jones movie franchise has had its controversial moments, particularly in the casting department (such as the Egyptian excavator Salla Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir being portrayed by Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies and the portrayal of several Indigenous peoples in Temple of Doom).
Given that the franchise has since attempted to head in a more progressive and inclusive direction, with the upcoming fifth installment already showing a more diverse cast list, fans can only hope that James Mangold, Jez Butterworth, and John Butterworth will not repeat past mistakes in the story overall.
A Delightfully Fraught Mentor Relationship
Given his marriage to Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), it's likely that Indy won't have much of a romance storyline in Indiana Jones 5. With the addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) to the cast, fans will likely get a narrative structured more like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the father-son dynamic dominated.
The casting of the talented and funny Waller-Bridge is sure to be a fan-pleaser. Possibly a relative of Marcus Brody (a niece?), her character will likely play an irascible but super-capable college/assistant that will have a neverending disagreement with Indy. The potential for a wisecracking (platonic) love-hate relationship is in the offing here and fans can't wait to see what they have in store.
Another Great Villain
It is said that a hero is only as great as the enemy he/she defeats, and Indy has long faced imposing antagonists in the forms of Belloq, Mola Ram, Walter Donovan, and Irina Spalko.
A capable Indiana Jones villain is an absolute must: Steven Spielberg and George Lucas generated a classic line of baddies, but now that they've bowed out and Disney has stepped in, fans can only hope for the best. The casting of the superb Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale) potentially as a new villain is encouraging.
Streamlined Cast
One of the serious mistakes made by Crystal Skull was it's overstuffing of the marquee. Perhaps sensing that Crystal Skull might be the last installment of the series, they tried to include too many prominent characters, horn shoeing Indy, Marion Ravenwood, Professor Oxley, Mutt, Mac, and Irina Spalko into the main story.
Compare the six important characters in Crystal Skull to the original trilogy films where the formula excelled with four: Indy, Marion, Sallah, and Belloq in Raiders, Indy, Willy, Short Round and Mola Ram in Temple of Doom, and Indy, Henry Jones, Sr., Elsa and Walter Donovan in The Last Crusade. Crystal Skull's narrative lost focus in attempting to provide satisfying storylines for its crowd of leads. Hopes are the fifth installment will return to the leaner casting.
A Pyramid Full Of Easter Eggs
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are no strangers to cinematic easter eggs, including sight gags like R2-D2 and C-3PO hieroglyphs in the ark chamber in Raiders and Club Obi-Wan in Temple of Doom.
Disney has shown no compunctions about adding easter eggs into its Star Wars spin-offs so fans should expect a healthy dose of the same in Indiana Jones 5. The urge to plant homages and callbacks may be heightened by the near certainty of Ford's curtain call and the fact that fans may not see another installment for a long, long time (although the Indiana Jones franchise could do a lot in the interim.) The only concern here would be Disney's tendency to overdo the aforementioned.
Passing the Baton
For Indiana Jones fans, the elephant in the room has long been the question of succession. With Spielberg and Lucas already out of the picture and Harrison Ford's Methuselah impression waning, the black hole in Disney's continuing franchise universe looms. Will Indiana Jones 5 accept reality and give Ford's Indy a true farewell?
The popular Indiana Jones franchise is an established megahit: Disney might leave it waiting in the wings while they beat the last drop of blood out of the Star Wars universe but make no doubt about it—regardless of what Disney might be saying now—there's no way this corporation will keep a cash cow like this under wraps forever. Indiana Jones is a character, just like James Bond and Spiderman, and he shall return in another form. The most fans can hope for is the emergence of another great actor and writing team to carry the brown fedora into the future.