Phoebe Waller-Bridge is joining the as-yet-untitled fifth Indiana Jones film, co-starring as an as-yet-announced character opposite Harrison Ford (who’ll be returning as the titular adventurer, of course). Also set to return is John Williams, who has scored the previous four films and whose “Raiders March” theme is indelibly associated with the character.
Disney hasn’t announced details on who Waller-Bridge (best known for her award-winning series Fleabag, along with appearances in Solo and the upcoming No Time to Die) will be playing, although in a 2019 interview with The Sun, franchise creator Steven Spielberg did acknowledge that it might be time for a female iteration of the character. Using the fifth film to pass the torch from the 78-year-old Ford to Waller-Bridge could be a good way to help rejuvenate the franchise.
That said, the last time the Indiana Jones franchise tried to hand things off to a younger actor — Shia LaBeouf, who played Jones’ song in the widely panned Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008 — things didn’t quite pan out. (It’s no surprise that Ford, not LaBeouf, is heading the upcoming film.)
Further complicating that theory is the fact that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy previously confirmed at Disney’s investor event last December that the fifth Indiana Jones film would be the final movie in the series. But presumably, in today’s world of reboots, sequels, and Disney Plus spinoffs, there’s plenty of room for Disney to continue the franchise if it chooses to.
Unlike the first four films in the series, which were directed by Steven Spielberg, James Mangold will direct Indiana Jones 5 (although Spielberg is still on board as an active producer of the film).
Indiana Jones 5 is set to hit theaters on July 29th, 2022.
