Long rumored and now officially confirmed- the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise is a go. Director Steven Spielberg and actor Harrison Ford are returning to the fold; both director and star have appeared in all four previous Indiana Jones films beginning with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and most recently on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Disney will release and has dated the film for a July 19, 2019 release.

For some time now, rumors have been circulating regarding the status of another Jones outing. Recent cycles have formed that actor Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World) may be boarding the franchise, however that remains to be seen as do any scrapes of what the story of the fifth film may look like. Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are boarding the project as well, as they both have tremendous experience with the franchise (Kennedy worked as an associate for Spielberg on Raiders, while Marshall served as a producer). Kennedy, who is the current president of LucasFilms, recently ushered in the massively successful reboot of Star Wars – in which Ford co-starred. Walt Disney chairman Alan Horn said:

Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can’t wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019. It’s rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven.

Curiously, this will mark the first Indiana Jones feature not to include the participation of George Lucas. Lucas and Spielberg created the franchise together with the Star Wars director serving as executive producer of the franchise throughout its run. Lucas sold Lucasfilms to Disney in 2012. Shortly after that sale, Disney was granted control over any upcoming Indiana Jones films- Paramount had distributed the previous four entries.

This film also continues a trend for actor Ford, who has made a habit of returning to his iconic characters in recent years. He portrayed Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will return on the upcoming sequel to Blade Runner and, of course, as Indiana Jones. We will follow the latest Jones news as it comes along.