Very few movie characters have reached the iconic level of hero status that Indiana Jones possesses. While Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was not so well-received, the legend will live on as the fifth Indiana Jones film has a release date. What might also happen is an Indiana Jones animated series, as there really needs to be more of an Indiana Jones canon of the character made so famous by Harrison Ford.
Indiana Jones 5 Release Date
Even though Ford is hitting the age of 73, he is still at acting with his possible last appearance reprising Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as his upcoming role in Blade Runner 2. However, he will be back as the intrepid archaeologist in Indiana Jones 5. It might not have an official subtitle as yet, but it has a release date for July 19, 2019.
Steven Spielberg is going to be back at the helm, and it is possible that it could be Ford's last time in the role. Of course, nothing official has been stated on that front, but he is getting up there in age.
This fifth film should take place after Indy and Marion (Karen Allen) married, but it hasn't been revealed if Shia LaBeouf will reprise his role as Indy's son, Mutt. The last film revealed that Indy wasn't ready to pass the hat just yet, but perhaps the fifth film will reveal someone who is. For some reason, Chris Pratt's name usually gets mentioned with this.
The Indiana Jones Animated Series
In case you are wondering, Indiana Jones has never had his own animated series, but really should have. Considering that Star Wars has a few cartoon-related projects under its belt, one would think that someone could do something better for Indy on TV better than that Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series of the early 90s.
Just to let you know, an Indy animated series hasn't been created or green-lit as yet, according to CNET. The issue is that five years ago, Lucasfilm commissioned artist Patrick Schoenmaker to create a print of Indiana Jones as an animated hero as part of the promotional material for the fourth film. Schoenmaker loved the project so much that he has been trying to get an Indiana Jones animated short film made.
This artist doesn't have a big team, so the final film with an animated Indy probably won't be all that long. However, he describes it as a "proof of concept". Hopefully, this video will catch on until someone wants to do a more longer form.
The necessity of an Indiana Jones Canon
The thing about Indiana Jones is that he is a hero who is trapped in the constraints of time. He greatest adventures (the first and the third film) all take place during the World War II era, and you need Nazis to make an Indiana Jones adventure memorable.
Indiana Jones has had a lot of books and graphic novels written with him as the main character, but none of these are officially canon except the four films. Wouldn't an animated series give an opportunity for the character to grow and develop in between the films, as well as have even more adventures?
Yes, Indiana Jones is a character that you don't want to die, even if the original actor has to eventually retire. This franchise has a lot of money made already, and Disney has the rights to it after buying Star Wars a few years ago. It just makes sense to have a big gameplan when it comes to these adventures.
