Indiana Jones 5 is headed straight to cinemas three years from now, and if you’re part of the “or not” crowd we have some news to add fuel to your fire. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull screenwriter David Koepp will return to pen the latest adventure in the blockbuster franchise.
Yes, that’s the same David Koepp who cobbled together the all-over-the-map “Frankenscript” for the last movie from drafts by George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson and an uncredited Frank Darabont. That’s also the same David Koepp who wrote the poorly-received Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, directed the very poorly received Johnny Depp vehicle Mortdecai and, yes, created a TV series called “Hack.”
Now comes the good news: For those who like to believe that George Lucas was the one-and-only reason for Crystal Skull‘s shortcomings (aliens, fridge nuking, monkey swinging, etc), it is still unclear what, if any, involvement Lucas currently has on Indy 5. Lucas previously stated to Vulture in 2011 that he and Spielberg had decided on a story and genre for this new installment but had yet to find an adequate MacGuffin/treasure for Dr. Jones to go after. If Lucas’s experience is anything like it was on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, then Disney may have already thrown all his ideas on the scrapheap.
Also, having read the Darabont draft of the Crystal Skull script, we can say that one thing Koepp did do better was keep the references to previous films to a bare minimum, which hopefully will continue into this new adventure. And, to be fair, Koepp did also write the scripts for Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Spider-Man.
Steven Spielberg, who directed all four previous films, will helm Indiana Jones 5 with star Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role. Franchise veterans Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will produce.
Famed archaeologist and explorer Indiana Jones was introduced in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark – one of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time – and later thrilled audiences in 1984’s prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The four films have brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office.
Indiana Jones will return to the big screen on July 19, 2019.
