Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Producer Breaks Down Film's Time Travel

Like with previous adventures in the franchise, the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will see the iconic archaeologist finding himself on a collision course with a powerful item, one that has the power to change all of history. Fans have largely been left to speculate about the power the titular item will possess in the upcoming sequel, but producer Frank Marshall recently recalled how the Dial could be used to travel through time, and while this involves the film embracing a fair share of fantasy, he argues that the sequel also attempts to embrace some realism to get the concept across. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny lands in theaters on June 30th.

"The Dial of Destiny is perfect for us because it's about time," Marshall shared with SFX magazine, per GamesRadar. "It's math and time. We always try and have some sort of archaeological connection and there was certainly that -- there's a mythology to the Dial of Destiny that exists. It turned out to be the perfect thing for this movie."

The original trilogy of Indiana Jones films featured items that had supernatural powers, but with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the titular locale had connections to intergalactic beings, allowing the franchise to explore sci-fi themes. Marshall pointed out how the time-travel device in the upcoming sequel might bridge the gap between science and fantasy.

"It works in the plot because it is scientific," Marshall recalled. "Well, I guess it's scientific! It really works for what we are doing and it sets up a whole lot of great plot points. The question is, if you can control time, like in Back to the Future, would you change things? And what would that mean? That's a big question for everybody, and certainly is in the movie."

Marshall also went on to detail how the villains in the Dial of Destiny aim to use the item for their nefarious goals.

"It's a plot point that drives the story," the producer detailed. "[Mads Mikkelsen's character] wants to go back and change time, change what happened, and obviously it turns out to be in Nazi Germany. The Nazis are kind of a thread we've had through all of the movies. I think it definitely works this time."

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny lands in theaters on June 30th.

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