There is only one man capable of ever playing Indiana Jones, and that man is actor Harrison Ford. So says Steven Spielberg, the director behind the fifth Indiana Jones movie in the franchise.
Earlier this year, Spielberg confirmed that a fifth Indiana Jones film was in the works. That announcement started speculation in Hollywood that the role would get recast and go to a younger actor. Although Disney and Lucasfilm don't promise that film anytime soon, the companies did state that they began working on a script.
Of course, that led to rumors that batted around names of actors who could take on the role. One of the most-often cited rumors, though, was that Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World actor Chris Pratt was the actor most likely in the running.
However, Spielberg put those rumors to rest by stating that neither Pratt nor anyone else would ever become Indiana Jones, at least on his watch. According to Spielberg, there's only one Indiana Jones.
"I don't think anyone could replace Harrison as Indy," Spielberg said to Screen Daily. "I don't think that's ever going to happen. It's certainly not my intention to ever have another actor step into his shoes in the way there have been many actors that have played Spider-Man or Batman. There is only going to be one actor playing Indiana Jones and that's Harrison Ford."
If that doesn't make it clear as to who will star in the next Indiana Jones feature, nothing will. Yes, Ford is well into his seventies now, but he's still shown that he has star power, at least judging from fans' reactions to seeing him return to his role in the new Star Wars film as Han Solo, a role he originally played way back in 1977. Ford is not just a household name, but an action-adventure legend who's still going strong.
Of course, the new Indiana Jones film isn't even under production yet, and is still probably years away. It's even likely that Spielberg might not ever get around to actually making it, but it's good to know that if he does, Indy will be the same as we've always know him, complete with Ford's good looks, swagger and comedic timing.
