Disney and Lucasfilm have pushed back the release of Indiana Jones 5 from the previously reported July 2019 date to July 2020. Since the Mouse House acquired the studio, there has obviously been much attention placed on the Star Wars franchise, which continues to thrive with new installments in the Skywalker saga, as well as standalone spinoffs like Rogue One. But as many viewers know, Lucasfilm is also home to world-famous archeologist Indiana Jones, who has starred in four adventure films to date. There were always rumored about a fifth installment, and last year Disney confirmed one is indeed coming through the pipeline.

Steven Spielberg, who helmed all of the previous entries in the series, is set to return to the director’s chair once more to guide Harrison Ford on his (probably) final journey as the iconic character. The legendary filmmaker is quite the busy man right now, calling the shots on historical drama The Post for this fall, Ready Player One for next spring, and The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara at some point. It seems Spielberg’s plate is a little too full at the moment, so Disney is giving him extra time to work on Indiana Jones 5.

Borys Kit of THR broke the news on Twitter, revealing the new date of July 10, 2020:

This move was part of a slew of Disney release date announcements, which included the premieres of Star Wars: Episode IX and Jon Favreau’s Lion King remake. The former of those two has secured Indiana Jones 5’s previous debut window, ensuring Disney will not lose prime ground during the always lucrative summer movie season. No reason for the Indiana Jones delay was reported, but it’s safe to assume Spielberg’s loaded schedule has something to do with it. It’s better that he has more breathing room now to craft the upcoming blockbuster, which many hope will make up for the shortcoming of 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Since this in all likelihood will be Ford’s final turn as Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., many would prefer that it not be rushed so he can ride off on a high note. Ideally, the additional year will allow Spielberg to handle the project with all the care it deserves.

Indiana Jones will swing into theatres later than initially expected: it moves to 7/10/20 from 7/19/19.— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) April 25, 2017

Indiana Jones 5 being pushed back means that Ford will have celebrated his 78th birthday by the time the film makes its way to theaters. The actor is an ageless wonder and delivered a great performance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so when the material is there, he can still operate at the top of his game. It will be interesting to see how he handles the necessary action beats that will be required for the movie, but hopefully everything is grounded enough and plays convincingly on the screen. Spielberg knows the importance of getting this “right,” so he should be trusted until further notice.

Source: Borys Kit

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