Nineteen years after he last hung up his whip, the man with the hat is officially back next weekend, when “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” opens May 22. Now just how much longer will we have to wait before he returns again?
That’s the question we’re asking today with news that George Lucas has already come up with a storyline for a potential 5th Indiana Jones film. The Search for Atlantis? The Quest for the Fountain of Youth? How about, the Pursuit of a New Leading Man?
Believe it, Lucas told Fox News, saying that any future installment of the Indy franchise would most likely move forward with Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt Williams as the main character, Indy regulated to sidekick status, a la Sean Connery in “Last Crusade.”
For his part, LaBeouf — after a year of couched answers and hiding secrets — seems positively thrilled at the possibility.
Change that. When MTV News caught up with the precocious young star this morning at the Cannes Film Festival, he seemed downright giddy.
“I don’t think a Mutt spinoff would be as big as Indiana Jones,” he told MTV. “[But] fingers crossed!”
But what about us? Obviously so much depends on how LaBeouf fares with critics and fans when “Crystal Skull” opens — and even if he’s a homerun nothing, of course, is a certainty — but what do you think about an Indiana Jones film without, well, much Indiana Jones? Does LaBeouf have the chops to continue the most iconic franchise of my lifetime? Would you want another group of sequels, or would they diminish the original three (soon four) in your mind?
And while we’re at it, how would it work? Sound off on your thoughts, desires, and ideas for where a sequel could go below. The choice is in your hands. Choose…wisely.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:18 am
i would like to tell just one thing!
PLEASE NOT INDIANA JONES with another LEAD! i will love tosse another trilogy with FORD in the lead role, i can see the businnes needs to have Shia for new generations and target like sidekick of INDIANA JONES, but please if Lucas, Spielberg and overall Ford, will do others Indian jones movies, please let old Indy, and old astonish FORD, to be the Lead of it! i will promote a petition about it! Ford is Indy and Indy series is Ford, without him in the lead, the dream will be destroyed! after two more movies with Ford in the Lead i can see Shia in the Lead of a spin-off series Matt Williams and his adventures…but let Indiana jones series with Ford!!!
May 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
i think it would be great! i think shia is a great actor and do well in just about anything. i am up for seeing more indy-themed movies with him as the lead. i am excited to see the new movie coming out on Thurs.
May 19th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
The secret is in the title, it always starts Indiana Jones and The….. It won’t work without Ford, Ford is Indiana Jones, no-one else will come close, Shia is great but let him cast his own shadow.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I WILL NEVER WATCH AN INDIANA JONES MOVIES WITH SHIA LABEOUF AS THE MAIN CHARACTER! I WOULD RATHER DIE.
It’s bad enough Shia is in the movie at all… A movie or series based off of Mutt would be awful.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:20 am
The final scene of Indy IV is telling. Mutt goes to pick up Indy’s hat at Indy’s wedding to Marion, and Indy snatches it off him and puts it on his head. To me, it’s Indy saying, “I’m not ready to give up the hat yet!” and it made me laugh out loud.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:32 am
i understand businnes to have young actor in old series to trap new generation and teens target, but, Lucas have understimate the power of commercial stuff. Speilberg, Lucas, Coppola, etc. have build the new hollywood, a new standard in the mid ‘70, and right now, i will love if they would like to teach a great lesson to all hollywood producers, old actor are not DEADMAN walking, old actor are a great fuel of experience for every movie! and put one of them and keep one of them (FORD)in the series with the name of his character is the BEST challenge to the movie industry. this is the real quest! Mr Ford is an astonish actor, and he will be Indiana Jones forever, Bogart, Mitchum, Peck, Wayne, Marvin, bronson, Eastwood, are all actors like Ford, can be realistic in their roles in many ways, aged too.
with an open mind, Mr. Lucas an old Indiana Jones can be a great IDEA, take Eastwood the unforgiven + Indy adventures, and you will have a great masterpiece! let Mutt williams grown up like the sidekick and only after you can take him in the spin off direction….
Lucas wake up, be revolutionary for real!!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Well, you can’t have an “Indiana Jones” movie without Indiana Jones and that has been and always will be Harrison Ford. Having said that, depending on how well Shia LeBeouf portrays his character why not make a series of “Mutt Williams and the Search for-” movies with the Indy character as the sidekick. By the way, I’m glad to see Indy and Marion FINALLY get together like they should have from the beginning. Tee hee!
May 24th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
I think that Shia Labeauf is a great actor and I love the kid… great guy…. BUT I AGREE THAT ANYONE ELSE CANNOT TAKE THE ROLE OF INDY!! Either make more of them WITH FORD, OR do a completely new serious with Mutt Williams, which who knows if it would be a good one or not… BUT DO NOT REPLACE INDY WITH A NEW ACTOR! PLEASE LUCAS! Don’t ruin it for the people!
May 27th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Mutt Williams and the (Insert Title Here) Search for Atlantis, Secrets of Atlantis, Any other title for a cool artifact
I love Shia’s movies, Transformers now recently being one of my top favorites, along with The Greatest Game Ever Played.
May 28th, 2008 at 3:26 am
If I would like to see anyone play Indy it would have to be Sean Penn. He is an amazing actor with a great comedic range that suits Indiana Jones. Shia Lebouf would be great as Indiana’s father and Harrison Ford as the artifact that Indy has to find!
The new movie is great, by the way with my favourite part being the scene where Shia swings with the monkeys!
June 6th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Well first off let me just say that I am a die hard Indy fan (I wrote my college entrance essay on the impact of Indy in my life). However, I think that the latest Indy movie was by far the weakest of the franchise. It’s only saving grace was Shia Lebeouf’s performance. Sadly, the plot was weak and Harrison Ford was pretty good, but the character of Jones didn’t really fit in with the more X-Files feel of the movie. However, LaBeouf’s delivery almost reminded me of a young Marlon Brando. I think that it would be in the best interests of the franchise to go ahead with these Mutt Williams films. They would most certainly revitalize the franchise with a new take on an old favorite.
June 16th, 2008 at 7:22 am
An indy movie with out Harrison Ford is just not right, i mean, Harrison is indy and anyone other than him playing indy isnt wht i believe is right. Except in the Tv series, where harrison would be to old to play the younger, lesser intellectual Jones than the man we know.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
judging from the “hat hint” at the end of the most recent Indiana Jones, Shia LaBeouf might be the next Indy