With Indiana Jones' return in 'Indy5', here's what makes the archaeological adventure genre so timeless
Indiana Jones fans rejoice! When Disney announced all of its releases through 2027, one of the blockbusters that were part of the list was 'Indy5'. The Harrison Ford-starrer was earlier set to release in 2021 after Ford and Spielberg missed their 2020 window last summer. According to Entertainment Weekly, a version of the 'Indy5' script was drafted by David Koepp, who adapted 'Jurassic Park' and the last Indiana Jones movie, 'The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'.
The last time the world saw Professor Indy was back in 2008 in the fourth installment of the 'Indiana Jones' franchise. The movie took place in the 1950s and introduced Mutt Williams (played by Shia LaBeouf), Indiana Jones' child with Marion Ravenwood (also returning Karen Allen), the love interest from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.
But again, will this mean that we will see Harrison Ford in all his entirety as Indiana or will it be taken over by Shia LaBeouf who at the end of the 'Crystal Skull' was handed over the famous Indiana hat? The latter does look unlikely given that Ford had already expressed his interest to EW, to reprise the role again. Ford, currently 76, is still the best bet to be Professor Jones and the world would perhaps love to see him clinging to an ancient artifact and jumping over obstacles again.
The archeological adventure genre too might get a chance to make a comeback with 'Indy5'. The last movie of the genre was 'The Mummy' (2017) starring Tom Cruise which garnered poor ratings and received negative receives. The movie was a reboot of 'The Mummy franchise' where Crusie plays a US soldier who accidentally unearths the ancient tomb of an entrapped Egyptian princess.
The archaeology factor in Indiana Jones' movies was unique. Imagine a temple of doom that had him find a mystical stone and rescue children from a Thuggee cult practicing child slavery, black magic and ritual human sacrifice in honor of the goddess Kali. At some point, the movie had a sense of reality, sans the mythical objects that were part of the four movies. Whether a crystal skull exists is unknown, but one can imagine that there might be a place on earth that may contain an unsolved mystery.
What the franchise also did was inspire movies like 'The Mummy' and 'National Treasure', that had a similar approach to the genre, but unfortunately could not live up to the hype that Professor Indy and his adventures created. With the new movie slated to release on July 9, 2021, we can certainly hope that it helps archaeology adventures make a great comeback.