The fifth Indiana Jones movie just got a whole lot more exciting. Deadline has confirmed that Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge (screenwriter of the new Bond movie No Time To Die) will be starring opposite Harrison Ford. And they've got the right musical accompaniment, as series veteran John Williams is returning to compose the score.
Indiana Jones 5 is the first movie in the series not to be directed by Steven Spielberg. Instead, Logan and Le Mans '66 helmer James Mangold will be cracking the whip. Disney will be distributing the film in collaboration with Lucasfilm, with Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall overseeing as producers.
"I’m thrilled to be starting a new adventure, collaborating with a dream team of all-time great filmmakers," said Mangold. "Steven, Harrison, Kathy, Frank, and John are all artistic heroes of mine. When you add Phoebe, a dazzling actor, brilliant creative voice and the chemistry she will undoubtedly bring to our set, I can’t help but feel as lucky as Indiana Jones himself."
It's been a long old road since Dr. Jones made his big-screen debut in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. The character was devised by Spielberg and his friend George Lucas as a reaction to James Bond. Spielberg had always wanted to make a 007 movie, but the two men instead decided to strike out on their own. The end result was a rollicking popcorn blockbuster that unleashed all manner of classic set-pieces, from the boulder escape to the Nazi aeroplane fight.
In 1984, controversial sequel The Temple of Doom led to the creation of the PG-13 certificate, although 1989's The Last Crusade softened things considerably with the casting of Sean Connery as Indy's pops, Henry. 2008 fourquel The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is perhaps best forgotten.
No-one knows where Indy's adventures will take him next. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brought him into the 1950s Soviet/nuclear era, so might we see Indiana next entering the 1960s period of flower power? One thing's for sure: John Williams' robust contribution will have us all air-conducting again. We'll leave you with his classic Raiders March and the news that Indiana Jones 5 will arrive on 29th July 2022.