Harrison Ford is really ready to hang up the fedora and whip for good, even if Disney plans to keep the Indiana Jones franchise alive with a TV show. In a new interview this week, Ford confirmed that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will be the last time he plays Henry Jones Jr. He will also not be involved in the series Disney is reportedly developing.
“This is the final film in the series, and this is the last time I’ll play the character,” Ford told Total Film. “I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film.” The living legend also said he was aware of the TV project, adding that he will “not be involved in that if it does come to fruition.”
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Ford, 80, is excited about The Dial of Destiny, which he wanted to make for years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a disappointment in 2008. “I had been ambitious to do this film for 10 years, and there finally came a time when we all committed to that. It was a joyous moment for me. I think it’s a rare situation that I find myself in,” Ford told Total Film. “I’ve been able to deliver amazing films developed by Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] over a 40-year period, and to end it not with a whimper, but a bang, has been my greatest ambition for this excursion.”
The Dial of Destiny is the first Indy film without Steven Spielberg directing. James Mangold, whose previous work includes Walk the Line, Logan, and Ford v Ferrari, took over directing duties. He also co-wrote the film with brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, and David Koepp. The Dial of Destiny is set mostly in 1969, with Indiana trying to stop an ex-Nazi (Mads Mikkelsen) with the help of his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). There is also a prologue featuring a digitally de-aged Ford.
Back in November, sources told Variety that Lucasfilm was in the very early stages of developing a new Indiana Jones series for Disney+. It’s unclear if the project will focus on a young Indiana Jones or if Helena might be a central character. Disney and Lucasfilm had “general meetings” with writers, but no one has been hired yet, according to Variety.
This would not be the first Indiana Jones TV series. Co-creator George Lucas developed The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which aired on ABC in 1992 and 1993, with four specials that aired on the Family Channel (known as Freeform today) from 1994 to 1996. The series tracked Indy’s life from childhood to young adulthood, with Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier playing the part. George Hall played an older Indy narrating the series, although Hall’s scenes were sadly deleted when Lucas edited the episodes into 90-minute movies. Ford only appeared in one episode, “Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues.” The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles has surfaced on streaming platforms in the past, although it is unavailable as of this writing.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30. The movie will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18.
