When Disney acquired the LucasFilm library in 2012, all of the emphasis was on the Star Wars franchise. The film series, which had seemed all but concluded after the release of Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith, was to be resurrected by the multimedia monolith as a new, far-reaching universe of content. But the rest of LucasFilm’s properties were a big question mark. What about Howard the Duck? What about The Radioland Murders? What about Indiana Jones?
Today, after years of rumors and speculation, Disney announced this about Indiana Jones: he’s coming on July 19, 2019. The as-yet-untitled fifth Indiana Jones movie will reunite director Steven Spielberg, leading man Harrison Ford, and producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.
We all knew this was coming. Indiana Jones is too big a name for Disney to ignore, and although fans have wondered when another actor will take over the iconic fedora from Harrison Ford, the monster success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens proves that he’s still got a lot of life in him and audiences want to see the original stars of the original classics do their original thing.
LucasFilm
Also: All 11 ‘Star Wars’ Movies, Ranked (Yes, There Are 11 of Them)
But there are a few names missing from this announcement, particularly the name of George Lucas, who produced all four of the original Indiana Jones movies. He took a backseat as Disney rebooted his Star Wars series but with so many of the original cast and crew back on board for a new Indiana Jones, it seemed possible that he might at least return in an advisory capacity. But his name is nowhere to be found in the press release (below).
There doesn’t appear to be a script for this movie yet, so any more casting news would probably be premature, but after the events of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – which left Indiana Jones married with an adult son, who seemed eager to take up his father’s mantle – it’s interesting that neither Karen Allen or Shia LaBeouf (who played his wife and son, respectively) are mentioned here either.
Disney’s continuation of the Indiana Jones movies might raise even more questions as development proceeds. Although the character didn’t have as extensive an “expanded universe” as the Star Wars characters, he did star in the 28-episode The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which may or may not be considered canon by the franchise’s new owners. (That series showed that Indiana Jones was still alive in the 1990s, sporting an eyepatch.) Disney disavowed the expanded Star Wars universe and may choose to do so once again here.
From the Press Release:
Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019, for a fifth epic adventure in the blockbuster series. Steven Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm the as-yet-untitled project with star Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.
“Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.”
Famed archaeologist and explorer Indiana Jones was introduced in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark – one of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time – and later thrilled audiences in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office.
Top Photo: LucasFilm
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The 25 Most Badass Best Picture Nominees:
25 Badass Best Picture Nominees
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Captain Blood
Lost To: Mutiny on the Bounty
Action star Err0l Flynn headlines this rollicking swashbuckler about a doctor who goes rogue and becomes a pirate.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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The Adventures of Robin Hood
Lost To: You Can't Take It With You
Errol Flynn re-teamed with his Captain Blood director Michael Curtiz for this iconic adventure that defined the folk hero Robin Hood for decades.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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King Solomon's Mines
Lost To: All About Eve
H. Rider Haggard's classic novel became an acclaimed adventure starring the great Stewart Granger as Allan Quatermain, who has to escort Deborah Kerr into the heart of Africa to find her lost husband and an ancient treasure.
Photo: MGM
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The Guns of Navarone
Lost To: West Side Story
One of the great "men on a mission" movies stars Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven as soldiers who embark on an impossible mission to take out powerful Nazi weapons that were threatening the Allied Navy.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
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A Clockwork Orange
Lost To: The French Connection
Vicious, twisted and violent, Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Anthony Burgess's novel - about a teenaged criminal who undergoes psychological conditioning to "cure" his antisocial urges - is one of the few X-rated films to ever be nominated for Best Picture.
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Deliverance
Lost To: The Godfather
John Boorman's thriller sends Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox into the wilderness and challenges their masculinity at every turn. The "squeal like a pig" sequence is just as disturbing as ever.
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The Exorcist
Lost To: The Sting
William Friedkin's impressive adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel - about a child with a mysterious ailment that may be supernatural in origin, challenging contemporary secular beliefs - is still one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. The Exorcist is so scary that some people believed the actual celluloid was haunted.
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The Towering Inferno
Lost To: The Godfather Part II
The highest-grossing film of 1974 was an all-star disaster epic from Irwin Allen, who put Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, O.J. Simpson (yes, really) and a heck of a lot more big name stars in a skyscraper and set the building ablaze.
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Jaws
Lost To: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The film that changed blockbusters forever and put Steven Spielberg on the map. A Great White terrorizes a popular vacation spot, and only a crazed shark hunter, a nerdy scientist and a local sheriff (who is afraid of the water) can save the tourists.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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Star Wars
Lost To: Annie Hall
George Lucas's original blockbuster was a massive, critically-acclaimed sensation that changed popular culture and still influences practically every big budget movie being made today. But Annie Hall was good too.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark
Lost To: Chariots of Fire
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg teamed up to revitalized the old school adventure genre, creating a new action movie icon and cementing Harrison Ford's movie status. Raiders of the Lost Ark is still considered one of the best action movies ever made... maybe even THE best.
Photo: LucasFilm
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Witness
Lost To: Out of Africa
Harrison Ford goes undercover in Amish country to protect a young boy who witnessed a murder. Much of Peter Weir's film is a drama about Ford's culture shock and ill-fated romance with Kelly McGillis, but Witness concludes in classic, badass thriller fashion.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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Fatal Attraction
Lost To: The Last Emperor
The quintessential erotic thriller stars Michael Douglas as a businessman who has an affair with Glenn Close, only to discover that she's dangerously deranged. Adrian Lyne's nightmare scenario for philanderers is one of the scariest films ever nominated Best Picture.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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The Silence of the Lambs
Lost To: Nothing! It won!
A horror movies serial killers who eat human flesh and wear it as clothing, respectively, didn't just win Best Picture, it also won Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. Only two other films have ever pulled off that particular feat. The Silence of the Lambs is just that good.
Photo: Orion Pictures
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The Fugitive
Lost To: Schindler's List
Harrison Ford - who obviously has good taste in thrillers - stars in this classy remake of the popular television series, about a doctor who has been framed for his wife's murder. Ford runs from the incomparable Tommy Lee Jones, leading his pursuer directly to the conspirators responsible, and even the Academy had to admit it was an exceptional piece of entertainment.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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The Sixth Sense
Lost To: American Beauty
Before M. Night Shyamalan fell out of favor with critics and audiences alike, he blew everyone away with a smart, character driven horror movie about a little boy who is psychologically scarred by his ability to see ghosts. An iconic ending and great, Oscar-nominated performances still make The Sixth Sense a classic.
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Lost To: Gladiator
The kung fu genre, long ignored by American critics and the Oscars alike, finally got some mainstream attention in America with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The sweeping romance, filled with high-flying wuxia action, won four Academy Awards but lost Best Picture to...
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Gladiator
Lost To: Nothing! Another winner!
Ridley Scott transformed the often-ridiculed "sword and sandal" genre into a Best Picture winner with Gladiator, a huge action epic with just enough melodrama to be taken seriously by the Academy. Russell Crowe also won Best Actor, but most people agree it was actually a belated award for The Insider, which earned Crowe his first Best Actor nomination the year before.
Photo: Dreamworks Pictures
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The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Lost To: A Beautiful Mind and Chicago. Then it won!
Peter Jackson's groundbreaking, ambitious and popular adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved fantasy novels earned three Best Picture nominations over the course of three years, but the Academy snubbed it for the top award until the last possible minute. It compensated for the oversight by giving the third film, The Return of the King, an astounding eleven Oscars, for every category in which the film was nominated.
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Avatar
Lost To: The Hurt Locker
James Cameron's sci-fi saga was the biggest blockbuster in history, and the Academy had to admit it was a giant leap forward in visual effects and 3D technology.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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District 9
Lost To: The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp's debut feature was a dark and pointed political allegory about South Africa, told through the unusual story of space alien immigrants being segregated from human society. District 9 was nominated for four Academy Awards, but went home empty-handed.
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Black Swan
Lost To: The King's Speech
Darren Aronofsky's biggest Oscar contender to date is a surreal psychological thriller about a ballerina who loses her mind in a desperate grab for glory. Hallucinatory photography and an Oscar-winning performance by Natalie Portman elevated Black Swan above the rest of the horror genre... if only in the Academy's eyes.
Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Django Unchained
Lost To: Argo
Quentin Tarantino tackles the serious subject of slavery by transforming it into a cathartic revenge fantasy, about a slave (Jamie Foxx) who becomes a bounty hunter in order to save his wife. The action is outlandish, but given the context it seems completely justified... so long as Django is the one who's dishing it out.
Photo: The Weinstein Company
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Gravity
Lost To: Twelve Years a Slave
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Photo: Warner Bros.
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Mad Max: Fury Road
Lost To: ???
It seems unlikely that George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road will win the Best Picture Oscar, but a few short months ago it seemed even more unlikely that it would be nominated. Fortunately, his high-octane post-apocalyptic thrill ride is so exceptionally crafted, and unexpectedly dense with feminist themes, that the Academy saw fit to nominate the film for its highest honor. What a lovely day indeed!
Photo: Warner Bros.
