After reaching an agreement with Paramount Pictures, Disney will handle the distribution of any future films in the Indiana Jones franchise. While no official announcement has been made, this news all but confirms that a new Indiana Jones movie will be made. While leading man Harrison Ford has stated that he is open to returning to the role of the globetrotting archaeologist, Disney may wish to consider rebooting the franchise with a new cast given Ford’s age.
The deal puts Disney firmly in control of the two largest franchises from filmmaker George Lucas. Along with Star Wars, Indiana Jones provides Disney with yet another established franchise to capture the young male audience. Audiences universally remember and love the first three Indiana Jones movies even more than 20 years after their release. 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brought more split opinions from critics and consumers, which lends credence to the idea that Disney may reboot the franchise.
Unlike Star Wars, Disney has not immediately announced Indiana Jones 5 in the aftermath of last year’s Lucasfilm buyout due to unresolved legal issues with Paramount, who had distributed the previous Indy pics.