James Mangold Says No One Is ‘Replacing’ Indiana Jones
Rumors are whirring in the usual places about Indiana Jones’ future. Luckily, James Mangold isn’t having any of it. You can tell that the director is highly enthusiastic about this project, and he's not letting misguided guesses about Indiana Jones’ fifth entry get in the way. It’s incredibly fair that people would have their own theories about how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is going to play out. Still, as Mangold points out, it’s not okay to take off running with scant details and imagine things that aren’t true.
As he put it on twitter: “No one is ‘taking over’ or replacing Indy” in his film.
People seem to be under the impression that the Hollywood studios are trying to replace every major male character with a female replacement. Yes, there is a major push for better representation, but that doesn't just mean slapping a woman into every role under the sun. As Mangold points out, we really don't even know how Dial of Destiny is going to play out. What we do know, is that Harrison Ford has said this is his final movie in the series. Not only that, but he said when he's gone, Indy’s gone. There's really not even a potential for Indy to pass the torch on here. Mangold is clear: Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character is not becoming the new Indiana Jones in this movie.
What we do know about the film is that it’ll feature Nazis and a de-aged iteration of Harrison Ford’s character. People have also speculated that the film’s plot will feature time travel, which really isn't a bad guess. Maybe the word “dial” just feels like a dead giveaway, but only time will tell.
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny is set to debut in theaters on June 30, 2023.