Indiana Jones 5 is coming in 2023 and hype for the film is higher than ever after an official first look of the Harrison Ford character debuted Thursday.
The image, released via the official Indiana Jones Twitter account, sees our legendary hero return in a typical setting: a dimly lit cavern crossing a rickety-looking footbridge.
According to Total Film, the reveal was first made at the Star Celebration by none other than Ford himself, saying, “I’m really proud of the film.”
Ford confirmed the movie is almost completed while also displaying some of his signature deadpan wit, too. When John Williams’ classic score accompanied his appearance, Ford said, “That music follows me everywhere — it was playing in the operating room when I had my colonoscopy. I passed.”
Logan director James Mangold will be directing the film after the first four installments were helmed by Steven Spielberg, which just might be the change of pace the franchise needs at this point. However, the Jaws director will remain on board as a producer.
The film will also star Mads Mikkelsen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, and Shaunette Renée.
In a statement, Mikkelsen said the franchise is one of his favorites and “just oozed with that golden period of serials from the 1940s — and that’s in the fifth film as well.”
“They’re going heavily back to the first and second film and getting that original feel, the original Indy, something dense and epic,” he said.
The first three Indiana Jones movies represent almost a perfect trilogy, even if Temple of Doom’s blatant xenophobia, white savior tropes, and one-dimensional woman character really do not hold up incredibly well all these years later. However, the imperfect legacy of the films was tainted even further with a fourth installment, the fan and critically-maligned 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which eschewed the usual themes of magical artifacts in favor of a plot revolving around aliens. Crystal Skull co-star Shia LaBeouf will not be returning to the franchise.
Hopefully, Mangold can go back to basics and bring the franchise back to its former glory when Indiana Jones 5 comes to theaters on June 30, 2023.