Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge Weighs in on Helena’s Future in the Franchise

The announcement of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was a bittersweet moment for fans, as it was exciting to get a new film but we were sad to hear that it would be Harrison Ford’s last outing as the iconic explorer. With any long-running franchise, fans are also wary of whether a studio will carry on a character’s legacy without its defining performer, so the addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge to the cast sparked speculation about whether her Helena Shaw will be the central figure in the franchise’s future. While there’s no confirmed plans for a future film, Waller-Bridge recently admitted that she wouldn’t rule out carrying on the mantle of the iconic series with future Helena adventures. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will land in theaters on June 30th.

“There’s no replacing Indiana Jones in any way,” Waller-Bridge admitted to Vanity Fair. “But I feel like the character herself — she did feel fresh on the page, and there is a sense of, is there room in the world for someone like this?” 

She added, “So I do think there’s room for a slightly clumsier, bruised, limping female action star, maybe, in the future.”

When Ford was cast as Indiana Jones, he already established his skills as a movie star with his work in Star Wars, and the beloved actor expressed his endorsement of Waller-Bridge’s skills in embracing those responsibilities.

“She’s certainly capable of being a movie star,” Ford revealed. “It’s a question of whether or not she wants to endure that responsibility.” 

He continued, “Whatever it is that we think she should do … She’ll have a better idea. She’s sitting on top of the pile right now.”

Waller-Bridge first entered the fray of Lucasfilm when she played L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story and she’s an accomplished filmmaker behind the camera, which has sparked speculation that she could develop a film for one of their signature franchises at some point in the future. While there’s nothing confirmed at the moment, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed her hopes to bring Waller-Bridge into the fold for another project.

“I would give anything to have Phoebe write a film,” Kennedy confessed. “Whenever I’m talking to her, she’s deep into commitments with current deals, but I would bring her on to write a movie tomorrow.” 

She detailed, “There’s just an underlying confidence in the way she makes decisions about herself and her career. She has this insatiable desire to do it all, but you never get the feeling that it’s stressing her out. That’s the amazing thing. She’s just doing it with joy, and that’s very, very contagious.”

The iconic Harrison Ford returns for one last adventure when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premieres in theaters on June 30th. Lucasfilm’s latest film in the long-running franchise sees Dr. Jones team up with his goddaughter Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in a race against nefarious forces to secure a powerful artifact. The duo will go up against the mysterious former Nazi-turned-NASA scientist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), and the film also features stars Boyd Holbrook, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, and John Rhys Davies. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is directed by James Mangold and is set to be Ford’s final appearance as the iconic archeologist.

Would you like to see more adventures featuring Helena? Let us know in the comments!