Indiana Jones 5 writer says “We’re still trying” to discover a great idea

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

A fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise feels as if it's been imprisoned inside a rotting sarcophagus for eons, despite Hollywood trying their best to crack the code since the release of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. In fact, it was only a year ago when SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY writer Jonathan Kasdan was assigned the project. For a time, Kasdan had fans believing that all was under control, and that a 2020 debut for the long-gestating Harrison Ford-led adventure was sure to happen. However, Kasdan's valiant efforts were dashed when his take on the tomb-raiding, whip-wielding explorer were denied by the studio, and Spielberg had moved on to helm his musical passion project, WEST SIDE STORY.

With droves of Indy fans waiting in the wings for word on the fate of Ford's timeless character, a new interview hailing from Den of Geek has revealed that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull writer David Koepp is back to give the story his best shot, and um … things don't sound promising.

“I’m working on it again,” Koepp said. “We’re still trying. And I think we’ve got a good idea this time. We’ll see.”

Sorry to put a damper on your Monday afternoon, folks. After all, wasn't Kingdom the most maligned film of the franchise? I remember paying good money to see that beast in theaters and finding it to be woefully underwhelming. This is just my opinion of course, and one based on years of bitterness toward the direction of the franchise. It's entirely possible that a sequel could restore Indy's good name, and I welcome the opportunity to embrace another worth while adventure with open arms.

For those of you who're looking to glean some ideas as to what an Indiana Jones 5 could be about, might I direct your attention to a 2016 Collider interview, where Koepp explained that much of the Indiana Jones franchise is all about the MacGuffin:

“I think that what [Indy] looks for and when he looks for it dictates what the movie’s gonna be. So the selection of the MacGuffin is everything. I think Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, being set in 1957 there was a conscious desire to say, ‘Much like two of the other ones were World War II movies set in the 30s and early 40s, this is ’57 so a lot of our influences are gonna be science-fiction movies.’ You got that with the original [script], Jeb Stuart took the first shot at it with Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars. That was a really conscious decision that dictated a lot about what the story would be and what the movie would be like, and I think that was followed through on really nicely. I thought Steve did a really good job with that. I don’t know that the idea was most suited to an Indiana Jones movie, but that was what we did. So we tried to be very careful with the selection of the MacGuffin and the eras to give ourselves as much latitude to make the best kind of Indiana Jones movie that we most want to see. Learning how that’s the importance of the choice of the MacGuffin is a big deal.”

Unfortunately, it's worth noting that at the time when Koepp spoke to Collider, the Indy sequel was eyed as a project that was headed down the right track. In other words, much has happened since Indy 5 was a priority, and Ford has only gotten older. It could be that much of the ideas that were floating around back then no longer apply to the character, given that much of the action would be rather taxing on a 77-year-old Ford. As I'd said earlier, I remain hopeful that something worth seeing will come together, though if I'm being completely honest, I'm not holding my breath.

What do you think about the idea of there being another Indiana Jones movie starring Harrison Ford? Is this a "too little too late" type of situation? Should they just reboot the franchise with another actor, or do you think Ford still has what it takes? Let us know in the comments section below.