The upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie in the saga has fans excited about returning to the world of Harrison Ford’s adventuring archeologist. Sadly, the movie will not be bringing back Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds David Koepp, nor will it see Spielberg himself behind the camera. Having previously confirmed his involvement on Indiana Jones 5, in a recent interview Koepp was asked if he was still on board to which he replied “Not anymore,” going on to explain his reasons for stepping away.
“When James Mangold came in … he deserves a chance to take his shot at it. I’d done several versions with Steven.”
Continuing further, David Koepp explained that when Spielberg left the project, it “seemed like the right time to let Jim have his own take on it and have his own person or himself write it.”
Koepp’s reasoning for walking away from Indiana Jones is a reasonable, even generous one, with the writer hoping that his absence will allow the new creative team to put their mark on the iconic franchise. The currently untitled fifth chapter in the Indiana Jones action-adventure franchise was originally planned for a July 2019 and then July 2020 release. In February, months after Koepp confirmed his continued involvement with Indiana Jones 5, Steven Spielberg opted out of directing the movie and the whip passed to Logan and Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold. Harrison Ford will be returning to play the titular character, with George Lucas returning to executive produce, with John Williams returning to compose the score.
Alongside Lucas, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, and Spielberg will also be on producing duty, with Marshall recently confirming that work on the script had “just started.” He was also asked why the 3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line filmmaker was the right choice to take over from Spielberg, with Marshall replying that it was Mangold’s “love of the franchise” that won him the gig.
“He’s a wonderful filmmaker. I think he also has a relationship with Harrison [Ford]. It was all of the right pieces coming together, at the right time.”
In a previous interview, director James Mangold has also provided some explanation as to his approach to the fifth installment.
“Like in all my work, I’m always trying to find an emotional center to operate from. I think the most important thing is, in an age when franchises have become a commodity, that serving the same thing again. At least for me, in the dances I’ve had with any franchises, serving the same thing again, the same way, usually just produces a longing for the first time you ate it. Meaning, it makes an audience wish that they just had the first one over again.”
He continued, using his hugely successful comic book movie Logan as an example, saying, “So you have to push something to someplace new, while also remembering the core reasons why everyone was gathered. And to use Logan as an example of that, when you’re dealing in a world of a very pressured franchise.”
Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to open in theaters July 29, 2022. This comes to us from Collider.
