Harrison Ford has given the Indiana Jones franchise his entire life. As much as he had invested his blood, sweat, and tears, the franchise, in turn, has brought him worldwide recognition and appreciation.
Not only that, when he went into a self-imposed exile and early retirement following an alleged salary dispute during the third movie, Paramount brought him back to the industry with the fourth movie with a whopping $65 million that increased his paycheck almost 13 times.
However, after four decades of his glory days as the adventurous archeologist, Ford is finally hanging up his hat with a fifth movie, Dial of Destiny next month.
Although one might think that given the increment, he would try to keep the checks coming for a few more years. According to Harrison Ford, though, he had been planning to give it a rest for the last 10 years.
Harrison Ford wanted to finish Indiana Jones with a bang
People were suspicious that this iconic franchise will truly mark its end with this movie. And confirming those suspicions, Harrison Ford confirmed in an interview last month that not only will this be the last time he reprises his role as Indiana Jones, but this might also be the character ever appears on the screen. He explained,
“This is the final film in the series, and this is the last time I’ll play the character. I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film.”
And although this came as disheartening news for his fans, the Stars Wars actor seems pretty happy with his decision. According to him,
“I had been ambitious to do this film for 10 years, and there finally came a time when we all committed to that. It was a joyous moment for me. I think it’s a rare situation that I find myself in.”
Mostly because according to him he had been planning not only the end of the franchise but his permanent retirement from the industry altogether for some time. And this movie came as a perfect opportunity for that. He noted,
“I’ve been able to deliver amazing films developed by Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] over a 40-year period, and to end it not with a whimper, but a bang, has been my greatest ambition for this excursion.”
And by the response the movie garnered at the screening, and Harrison Ford’s overwhelming emotional reactions, it seems the legend really did achieve that.
Kathleen Kennedy updated on Harrison Ford’s legacy
The current president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, too, took an opportunity to talk about the future of Harrison Ford’s iconic franchise in an interview.
She, too, confirmed that this movie will mark Harrison Ford’s end of Hollywood journey. Not only that, but it will also be the last time they will ever take the eccentric archeologist to the big screens. She noted,
“It’s Harrison’s last entry. That’s how we look at the Indy franchise. I mean, truthfully, right now, if we were to do anything, it might be in series television down the road, but we’re not doing anything to replace Indiana Jones. This is it. There are five movies that Harrison Ford did. And Harrison is so specific and so unique to creating this role. We just, Steven [Spielberg] agrees, we just wouldn’t do that.”
There have been rumors floating around since last year of there being a potential TV series adaptation of the Indiana Jones franchise in the works. However, Harrison Ford already mentioned that he will “not be involved in that if it does come to fruition.”
Marvel star Chris Pratt has always been interested in playing the character, so if the series ever happens, it will be interesting to see if he really does take up the mantle.
Another rumor, though, claims that the potential series might not be centered around Jones, but his mentor Abner Ravenwood, who was mentioned in the first movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark back in 1981, so the future of the franchise remains a mystery for now.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny releases worldwide on June 30th, 2023.
Source: The Direct
