Lucasfilm Reportedly Cancels Indiana Jones Spinoff Series for Disney+

The Indiana Jones spin-off series reported to be in the works for Disney+ has been crated and wheeled into the museum of canceled projects. In November, news broke that Disney and Lucasfilm were developing an Indiana Jones TV series set within the world of Harrison Ford's globe-trotting archaeologist adventurer as the studios ready a fifth Indiana Jones film, the James Mangold-directed Dial of Destiny. Insider Jeff Sneider suggested the series was to be a prequel to 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark and focus on Indy's unseen mentor, Abner Ravenwood, an Egyptologist and archaeologist who is dead by the time of the first film's events in 1936. 

According to Sneider on The Hot Mic podcast, the untitled Indiana Jones spin-off series has been shelved, and Disney has reportedly told Lucasfilm to focus on Star Wars. The report comes after the streamer canceled Willow, the sequel series to Lucasfilm's 1988 fantasy film of the same name, after one season on Disney+.

The potential series would have been the franchise's second television show to make it to air after The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, creator George Lucas' prequel spin-off that starred Corey Carrier and Sean Patrick Flanery as younger versions of the character. Ford made a single cameo appearance on the series that bookended episodes with George Hall as a 93-year-old Indy.

Disney and Lucasfilm are expected to announce the Star Wars movie slate at Star Wars Celebration in April, including director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's untitled movie being reworked by Steven Knight following the sudden exits of co-writers Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, in theaters June 30th, will be Lucasfilm's first theatrical release since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.

Lucasfilm's output in recent years has been feeding Disney+ with live-action and animated Star Wars series, including the flagship The Mandalorian, spin-off The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming series Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte. The studio also produces the two-season Rogue One prequel Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, plus the animated Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Visions, and Tales of the Jedi.

Starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, and Mads Mikkelsen, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens in theaters June 30th from Disney and Lucasfilm.