Director Steven Spielberg had been attached to a fifth Indiana Jones film for years, with the filmmaker’s busy schedule being one reason why it took so long for the film to actually move forward, and now that he has seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he’s offering strong praise for the adventure. Having directed all four films in the series since the franchise’s inception, some fans have been apprehensive about how James Mangold would orchestrate the outing, with Spielberg himself even expressing his surprise that another director managed to pull off what he so successfully accomplished over the years. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is expected to hit theaters on June 30th.
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“I just had that experience two nights ago,” Spielberg said at the Time 100 Summit when asked about the experience of watching an Indiana Jones movie that he didn’t personally direct. “Bob Iger had a screening for a lot of the Disney executives and I came to the screening along with the director James Mangold. Everybody loved the movie. It’s really, really a good Indiana Jones film. I’m really proud of what Jim has done with it.”
He added, “When the lights came up I just turned to the group and said, ‘Damn! I thought I was the only one who knew how to make one of these.’”
In addition to being the first film in the series that isn’t directed by Spielberg, it’s also the first film in the franchise whose story wasn’t conceived by George Lucas. This understandably comes with some mixed feelings from fans, as the collaboration between Spielberg and Lucas is what made the original films such triumphs, but given that they also partnered on the last film in the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the divisive reactions to that outing has fans excited to see a new approach to the material.
Both Spielberg and Lucas served as executive producers on this latest sequel, while frequent Spielberg collaborators Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy serve as producers on the film. The upcoming adventure is set to be Harrison Ford’s final outing as the archaeologist, so we shouldn’t be expecting future installments devoid of Spielberg’s involvement.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is expected to hit theaters on June 30th.
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