Indiana Jones 5 and Logan Director James Mangold to Helm Buster Keaton Biopic

Indiana Jones 5 and Logan director James Mangold is set to direct a film about the life of filmmaker and comedian Buster Keaton. According to Deadline, Mangold and 20th Century Studios are developing a project about Keaton and that Mangold is set to both direct and produce. The film will be based on the book Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase by Marion Meade. As the film is still in development, no additional details on the project are available at this time.

Joseph Frank “Buster” Keaton is one of the great icons of American cinema and entertainment. Keaton was a pioneer during the early days of silent movies and is well known even today for some of his stunt work and physical comedy during his career, including work on films such as The General and Sherlock Jr. Keaton is widely recognized as one of the greatest stars of classic Hollywood cinema as well as one of the greatest directors in film history.

Mangold himself has an impressive film career, helming films such as 3:10 to Yuma, the previously mentioned Logan, Ford v Ferrari, and the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. Mangold is also helming Indiana Jones 5. Mangold recently updated that production on that film, which stars Harrison Ford, is nearly complete with “about a month” of filming. Steven Spielberg directed the original four Indiana Jones films and had long been attached to helm the fifth film, but parted ways with the project in 2020. When Mangold boarded the project, the sequel was largely reinvented with a somewhat fresh start, though the coronavirus pandemic did result in some complications with the project’s progress.

“Like in all my work, I’m always trying to find an emotional center to operate from,” Mangold explained to ComicBook.com. “I think the most important thing is, in an age when franchises have become a commodity, that serving the same thing again. At least for me, in the dances I’ve had with any franchises, serving the same thing again, the same way, usually just produces a longing for the first time you ate it. Meaning, it makes an audience wish that they just had the first one over again. So, you have to push something to someplace new, while also remembering the core reasons why everyone was gathered. And to use Logan as an example of that, when you’re dealing in a world of a very pressured franchise.” 

Indiana Jones 5, which is currently slated to be landing in theaters on June 30, 2023.

Photo: Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic