Harrison Ford is back in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny! Over 40 years after the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ford embarks on what is likely his final Indiana Jones adventure (although I would not doubt Ford’s ability to keep the franchise going). This time, Phoebe Waller-Bridge joins him on an adventure to find an item that Jones has been looking for his whole life.
The addition of Waller-Bridge to the franchise is particularly poetic, considering she also starred in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was a film about the character that Ford made famous. Keeping the Star Wars connections going, Mads Mikkelsen, from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, also joins the film as Jürgen Voller.
The trailer looks fantastic, with various references and visuals from Indy’s past as it looks to honor the franchise’s history and, no doubt, set up potential future stories. The question that many fans will have on our minds is whether Waller-Bridge will take the baton and become the new star of Indiana Jones.
The film is directed by James Mangold, who becomes the first director outside of Steven Spielberg to direct an Indiana Jones film. Mangold is a geek fan favorite after his incredible work on Logan, and this might be the kind of franchise he could carry for the next several years. Of course Spielberg is serving as executive producer, along with his long time friend and Indiana Jones co-creator George Lucas. Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel are producing. The truly legendary John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, has once again composed the score.
The throwback that I know many fans, including myself, would love to see in this film is the appearance of Ke Huy Quan, who played Short Round as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and recently made his triumphant return to Hollywood in Everything Everywhere All At Once, for which he won an Academy Award. If there was ever a time to bring Short Round back, and even potentially give him the spotlight, it would be now.
Check out some additional screen shots from the film below. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premieres at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18 and opens in theaters on June 30!
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
