Speaking to Vanity Fair for their big Star Wars: The Force Awakens feature, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed the studio will be creating a new Indiana Jones film.
Kennedy says there will absolutely be a new installment in the franchise (and let’s be real: Lucasfilm likely wants to make a new series, not just one movie). The only question is when, not if.
“[An Indiana Jones film] will one day be made inside this company,” said Kennedy. “When it will happen, I’m not quite sure. We haven’t started working on a script yet, but we are talking about it.”
The most recent Indiana Jones film, titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, debuted in 2008 under the direction of Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford. Prior to that, the last installment — Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade — opened in theaters in 1989.
With Ford not getting any younger, and Lucasfilm looking to breathe new life into their beloved character, chances are they’ll be looking to cast someone new for the lead role. Earlier this year Indiana Jones rumors flared up indicating that Disney was interested in hiring Chris Pratt to become the new Indy. Since then the rumor mill about the future of the franchise has been silent, so at this point we’re just waiting for Lucasfilm to dedicate some time to figuring out the future of Indiana Jones.
And they don’t need to rush. Disney’s line up is packed with so many huge films over the next few years (thanks in part to Marvel films, sequels, and live-action adaptations), there’s no need to get this movie in the schedule for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of busy schedules, while Pratt may be a popular choice for the role, his schedule may be tied up in terms of his franchise commitments: In the next year or two he’ll be shooting the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy and may very well star in future Jurassic World films.