Indiana Jones 5 Set for July 2019 Release
It looks like Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford are returning for one last adventure. Walt Disney Studios officially announced the fifth feature installment of the Indiana Jones franchise, which will arrive in theaters on July 19, 2019. Steven Spielberg, who directed the four previous movies, will helm the currently untitled sequel. Harrison Ford will reprise his iconic role of Indiana Jones. For those keeping score at home, this will create an 11-year gap between Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the next film.
Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Kennedy are also returning to produce the new movie. Speaking on the announcement, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn stated: “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. 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.”
The four Indiana Jones films have nearly grossed a combined $2 billion at the global box office. The character was first introduced in Raiders of the Lost Ark, released in 1981, which was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. It does not appear that George Lucas will not have any involvement in the project, since his retirement from filmmaking and handing off the reins of Lucasfilm to Kathleen Kennedy. Lucas co-created the franchise with Spielberg.
The film will be released just after Ford turns 73. It’s almost a little insane to think about how he will play the role again at that age. That being said, he has aged fairly well and he did a good job with the physical aspects for the last Indiana Jones film and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. One imagines that the fifth Indiana Jones film would hypothetically be the last time Ford dons Indy’s trademark fedora and whip. This will also be the first Indiana Jones film made and released by Disney, since the studio was able to take over and acquire the property back in 2013.