Disney has said more Indiana Jones adventures would be coming, and now, it's official: Indiana Jones 5 is coming in the summer of 2019, and it will star Harrison Ford as the franchise's iconic hero.
Furthermore, Steven Spielberg will return once again to the director's chair for the film, having directed all four of the previous films in the series. The fifth Indiana Jones film doesn't have an official subtitle as of yet, but it does have a definitive release date of July 19, 2019. Both Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal will serve as producers on the project.
"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," Alan Horn, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement. "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."
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull seemed to imply that Indy might finally be settling down and passing the torch to his son Mutt, played by Shia LaBeouf. It remains unclear if Indiana will remain married in the upcoming sequel or if LaBeouf may also return for this next adventure. Ford is certainly getting up there in years. His recent plane crash and injury on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens have left the actor more than a little battered, so it remains to be seen how much action Ford will be able to handle on his own. Expect plenty of stunt doubles and a healthy dose of convincing CGI to help him along the way.
No details about the plot are known at this time, and it's also unclear if Indiana Jones story creator George Lucas will be involved in any capacity. Judging from Lucas' almost complete lack of involvement in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it seems likely that he will also adopt a hands-off approach to the new Indiana Jones film as well. Given how Kingdom of the Crystal Skull turned out, perhaps that is for the best.
