Indiana Jones is the most enduring Lucasfilm franchise, besides that little indie series called Star Wars. The archaeologist-focused action-adventure series has seen Indy face off against Nazis, Soviets, and vaguely racist Hindi stereotypes, and now we’re getting our first glimpse of what’s coming in the fifth installment.
Here are the official title, trailer, and release date, and our thoughts on what this information tells us.
Lucasfilm arrived at the 2022 Comic-Con Experience in Sao Paolo, Brazil with a boatload of updates. It takes a lot to overshadow the release date of The Mandalorian Season 3, but Indiana Jones 5 did just that. Thanks to one minute and 43 seconds, we officially have a title and release date, and even a glimpse at the plot.
The next Indiana Jones film will be called Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and will see Indy fight the old foe that made him famous in the first place: Nazis. Luckily, he has old friends (John Rhys-Davies returning as Sallah) and new ones (Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena) to help.
The best part? We only have to wait until June 30, 2023 to see the movie.
If the trailer is any indication, Dial of Destiny will be an action-packed adventure that features a train top struggle, Indy riding a horse through a ticker tape parade into the subway, and Mads Mikkelsen as a Nazi. Add some classic cave exploring, a little whip action, and a blaring score, and you’ve got yourself a classic Indiana Jones romp.
But one new addition will be the true test of the movie’s timeliness. Eagle-eyed fans may notice several shots of Harrison Ford looking a bit younger. It appears we’ll see some flashbacks to his youth, which may feature some unseen encounters with the Third Reich.
This may be new for Indiana Jones, but it’s not new for Lucasfilm, as Harrison Ford’s Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill was digitally de-aged for Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. While the visual effects garnered a bit of derision, later uses in The Book of Boba Fett showed that the technology was advancing quickly.
While Star Wars fans are used to the foibles of bleeding-edge visual effects, Indiana Jones is a precious property. Maybe the effects will be a stumbling point, but hopefully they help guide Indy’s last ride into the sunset.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will premiere in theaters on June 30, 2023.
