Indiana Jones 5 Production Is Almost Complete
It has been about 40 days since Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold said on Twitter that there was "about a month" of filming left to do on the as-yet-untitled sequel. Of course, everything takes a little longer than it used to with Covid-19 safety protocols in place, and as of today, producer Frank Marshall revealed that production is "in the home stretch," sharing the comment along with an exterior photo of Pinewood Studios, where the film is shooting most of the scenes that don't involve practical locations, on social media. Obviously that is less of a specific commitment than Mangold's, but when you pair the two, it seems likely production will be wrapped very soon.
Mangold is an interesting choice for the long-in-development film, considering that his most acclaimed movie is Logan, which finally ended Hugh Jackman's decades-long run as Wolverine on the big screen. With this likely to be Harrison Ford's final outing as Indiana Jones, Mangold is aware of the parallels.
"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."
Steven Spielberg, who directed the first four Indiana Jones movies, was set to direct this one, but left the project in 2020. Mangold came on and, using Spielberg's basic concept, reportedly reworked much of the screenplay before production started. Spielberg and creator George Lucas will remain on as executive producers. Besides Ford, the film is set to star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, and Antonio Banderas. Nothing is known about the plot yet, but Dr. Jones was seen squaring off with Nazis in set photos.
Stay tuned for details on the status of Indiana Jones 5, which is currently slated to be landing in theaters on June 30, 2023.