Harrison Ford Says Indiana Jones 5 Begins Filming Soon

UPDATE: Ford was originally quoted as saying the film would begin shooting “next week.” The film begins shooting next year.

While the Star Wars saga continues to chug along, many fans are still wondering about Lucasfilm‘s other series of beloved films, but there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding the next adventure of Indiana Jones. But while it might not look like a lot is going on, there’s some activity behind the scenes and it sounds like the movie is gearing up for production, according to star Harrison Ford.

The actor recently appeared at the premiere of The Secret Life of Pets 2 where he was asked about the status of Indiana Jones 5, and he gave a promising response.

Ford himself told Variety that the movie “should be starting to shoot sometime next year.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Ford added. “Things are coming along well.”

This is a surprising update for fans who have been following along, as there have been numerous delays to Indiana Jones 5 that some people may have thought it would never come together. But, to be fair, no one that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would ever be released, so be careful what you wish for.

Such an early shooting date is surprising, but there might be some trickery at hand for Ford and Lucasfilm, but if Spielberg is ready to go, fans should expect Indiana Jones 5 to meet its release date.

Last summer, Disney pushed back the release of the film by a year to Summer 2021, meaning there is a lot of time to begin filming and get it ready for its premiere.

There were rumors that Ford could possibly be recast by a younger actor, such as Chris Pine, but he himself debunked those claims during a recent interview on the Today Show.

“Nobody is going to be Indiana Jones,” Ford replied after being asked who he’d like to see take up the role after him. “Don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy.”

He then joked afterward, “This is a hell of a way to tell Chris Pine this. I’m sorry, man.”

Stephen Spielberg previously said that the film would begin filming in April 2019, but after that target date was missed there were some questions about when the project would actually come together. It sounds like Disney and Lucasfilm is ready to shift gears from their Star Wars franchise and focus on Dr. Jones’ latest relic-raiding exploits.

Indiana Jones 5 is currently scheduled to premiere in theaters July 9, 2021.