Is there a human being on this planet who has seen old school Indiana Jones movies and did not like them? The adventures of a brave archaeologist fighting against Nazis and powerful secret organizations while solving puzzles and showing off his impressive hand-to-hand combat skills have been quite entertaining and definitely became an example of how to make a proper adventure film!
The latest entry in the Indiana Jones franchise where Indi has to compete with Russians during the Cold War and search for an artifact left by aliens was received… okay? The film did not gather any good reactions from the audience and critics. It was more like a meh story with Shaia Lebeouf not really impressing anyone with his acting chops. The dreams of restarting the franchise with a new lead were shattered.
However, the studio did not want to let go of the golden goose. Indiana Jones 5 is currently in production yet lacks someone in the directorial seat after Steven Spielberg decided to leave the project. In his stead, James Mangold who recently bathed in the glory of Logan is negotiating his potential participation in the production process.
Can fans wait a couple more years?
Delays are nothing new for the era of blockbusters with budgets exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars. Studios do not want to take any risks and pour more money to salvage something that seems to be heading towards a place where trains are usually wrecked. However, fans won’t be waiting for a decade until the next film arrives. It is also commonly known that hype dies down eventually.
More importantly, Harrison Ford is pushing his 80s. Not only his credibility as a convincing action-star is questionable, to say the least, but he also may not be able to keep up with an intense shooting schedule for a blockbuster of such caliber as Indiana Jones 5.
What’s with the story?
A big problem that many fans have with Indiana Jones 4 is that the story was very different from what we used to see in a typical Indiana Jones film. While some supernatural elements existed, it was never about the magic of the McGuffin carried around. The story always revolved around politics, characters, and quirky yet witty dialogue. The Crystal Skull was not that at all. It was more of your regular summer blockbuster than a true Indiana Jones story.
The continuation has to deal with the marriage of the hero and his son still hanging around. Whether LeBeouf is even interested in returning to a big capacity is a question that we still do not answer to.