Steven Spielberg won't direct Indiana Jones 5
For the first time in the franchise’s history, Steven Spielberg won’t direct an Indiana Jones film.
Spielberg has had his hand on the wheel since 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, which first introduced star Harrison Ford as the adventuring archaeologist, Dr. Indiana Jones. But now the filmmaker is passing the torch to another director for Indiana Jones 5, coming out of Disney’s Lucasfilm, EW can confirm.
That director could be James Mangold, the guy behind the R-rated Logan and last year’s two-time Oscar-winning feature Ford v Ferrari. The filmmaker is in early talks to take over the director’s seat. A rep for Mangold did not comment on the situation, and reps for Spielberg did not immediately respond to EW’s requests for comment.
Spielberg will remain attached as a producer. A source close to the filmmaker told Vanity Fair that he wanted to “let a new director and a new generation give their perspective to the overall story and this film.” Spielberg previously relinquished the reins on the Jurassic Park franchise to directors Colin Trevorrow and J.A. Bayona for the Jurassic World movies.
A fifth Indiana Jones movie was first announced in 2016 with Ford attached to reprise his role, but Disney pushed the film back multiple times to its most recent release date of July 21, 2021.
Ford made headlines recently when he commented on the sequel to CBS Sunday Morning while promoting The Call of the Wild, vaguely noting that he will “start doing Indiana Jones in about two months.”
He then told Hey U Guys in a separate interview, “We want it to be the best. We’ve got some scheduling issues and a few script things still to do, but we are determined to get it right before we get it made.”
No casting beyond Ford has been announced.
Variety was the first to report the news.
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