Almost 40 years after he first sat in the director’s chair for Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film which cemented his name as the go-to director in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg has made the decision to step away from the big chair in the 5th Indiana Jones film, due out 9th July 2021. James Mangold, on a hot streak after the Oscar nominated duo of Logan and Ford vs Ferrari is rumoured to be taking over the reins while Spielberg will remain as a ‘hands-on’ producer, as will franchise star Harrison Ford.
The actor recently made headlines speaking about the future of the franchise while promoting his latest film, “The Call of the Wild.” He told “CBS Sunday Morning” this month that he was “going to start doing ‘Indiana Jones’ in about two months,” and then days later told HeyUGuys that the project is still facing “scheduling issues and a few script things” and that “we’re determined to get it right before we get it made.”
When Disney first announced the new “Indiana Jones” film in 2016, with Spielberg directing and Ford starring, the studio originally slated the film to open on July 19, 2019. Then it was pushed a year to July 10, 2020, and then delayed again to July 9, 2021, when Jonathan Kasdan (son of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” scribe Lawrence Kasdan) was brought on to take a pass on the script after original screenwriter David Koepp left the project.
With a new director coming on board, the possibility that “Indy 5” will be pushed once more from its 2021 release date seems likely. Spokespeople for Spielberg and Disney declined to comment.
