Rumor: Lucasfilm Planning Full Reboot Of Indiana Jones
A new rumor alleges that The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiary Lucasfilm are planning a full reboot of Indiana Jones.
This rumor comes from Skyler Shuler at The DisInsider. When asked what Disney and Lucasfilm’s plans are for Indiana Jones, Shuler shared, “Lucasfilm is letting the franchise rest for a bit before they do a full reboot of the franchise.”
As for when details about this reboot might be announced, he stated, “I would expect the studio to announce something next year at the D23 Expo because even though the last film tanked at the box office, Indiana Jones is still an iconic IP and Disney/Lucasfilm do not want to waste that.”
This rumor is not all that surprising. There was a rumor back in October from scooper WDW Pro that claimed that Lucasfilm was already developing a young Indiana Jones movie.
WDW Pro stated, ““I have a source who has been right in the past and tells me that it appears Lucasfilm is doing some developing, shall we say, maybe some preliminary work on what it would look like to do a young Indiana Jones movie in which Indy would be around the age of 14, would clearly not be played by Harrison Ford, and they may believe that’s young enough that it wouldn’t be a problem for the character to not be played by Harrison Ford.”
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As Shuler noted, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was a box office disaster. The film only grossed $174.4 million at the domestic box office and only added another $209.4 million internationally for a global gross of $383.9 million.
It was originally believed that the film cost around $300 million and thus Disney and Lucasfilm lost around $143 million. However, Caroline Reid at Forbes uncovered financial documents indicating Lucasfilm spent around $402.3 million on the film’s production budget. That’s $102.3 million more than the original high estimate. She also revealed Disney received a $64.3 million reimbursement for filming in the UK from the UK government. That brings the net spend to $338 million. Given this, she concluded Lucasfilm and Disney lost $146 million on the film.
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Not only was the film a box office disaster, but it might have been a franchise killer as well.
Pop culture critic Gary Buechler on his Nerdrotic YouTube channel noted, “Our expectations were not subverted. Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm once again desecrated a beloved character, one that they just hadn’t gotten around to yet. And yes, Indiana Jones was sacrificed on the altar of agenda to bolster a brunette British woman. And once again, Harrison Ford is involved, but at least Han Solo was put out of his misery. This one wanted Indy to suffer as much as the audience.”
He later added that the film was the culmination of Kathleen Kennedy’s work in destroying “every last vestige of George Lucas’ legacy with the added bonus this time of being able to stick it to her old boss Steven Spielberg.”
What do you make of this rumor?
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One of the essential elements of a good Indiana Jones story is reverence for God. They are morality tales where men try to claim godhood for themselves and fail because they are unworthy. No one in Hollywood is capable of writing a story like that today.
I know Harrison Ford is older, but don't reboot the show. Continue it, using a younger archeologist as Indy's hand and feet. Indy was always the brains, and I think it would be fitting for him to become the next Dr. Jones who draws a new Archeologist into the field.