Indiana Jones 5 movie falls victim to coronavirus curse
He’s survived Nazis, Thuggees and even aliens but it looks like time is running out for big-screen action man Indiana Jones, who looks set to be wiped out by a virus, Duncan Lay writes.
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We all know coronavirus is potentially deadly for the elderly and now it looks like it has claimed its most high-profile victim — Indiana Jones.
Yes, the character that has survived Nazis, Thuggees and even aliens now looks to have been killed off by a virus.
If only it had happened before we were forced to watch the abomination that was Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
Of course it’s Indiana Jones and he has escaped certain death many, many times before. But things don’t look good this time.
The fifth Indiana Jones movie has had a troubled inception.
The fourth instalment, Crystal Skull, stunk up our screens way back in 2008. Its memory is still hanging around, like a fart in a lift.
Indiana Jones 5 was supposed to happen in 2016 and has been continually pushed back, with new writers and directors stepping in.
At the moment James Mangold (Logan) is in the chair with David Koepp (Jurassic Park) tasked with coming up with the MacGuffin, or random item, that Indy needs to hunt down.
It was supposed to start filming this year for a release in 2021. But Disney has just announced it is going back to 2022.
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That was expected as everything is being pushed back. But, for Indy, it could be a fatal move.
Harrison Ford will be 79 while filming Indiana 5.
To put that in perspective, he will be 20 years older than Sean Connery was when the Scotsman played his father Henry Jones in 1989’s Last Crusade.
Ford was already looking creaky back in Crystal Skull. So how is he going to go with stunts and fights that are an essential part of an Indiana Jones movie?
Sure you can get stuntmen but it’s hardly going to be convincing if Ford is shuffling around in the dialogue scenes and then breaks into a sprint and starts doing acrobatics when the baddies turn up.
Ford is a proud man and protective of the characters he has helped create. I think he might pull the pin now. After all, it’s not like he needs the money.
Sure, you can bring in a protege. But is it really an Indiana Jones movie if Ford makes a few wisecracks and then hands it over to a young bloke to punch on with the baddies?
We already had the father-son dynamic explored in Last Crusade. Can they add anything to that?
Mangold directed an ageing superhero brilliantly in Logan, where Hugh Jackman was able to farewell his character with dignity.
Ford also farewelled his other legendary character Han Solo in Star Wars The Force Awakens. That was also excellent.
Indiana Jones deserves that same opportunity. Finishing the series on Crystal Skull is like finishing a beautiful romantic dinner by vomiting all over the table.
There are so many legendary stunts from the series.
The rolling rock from the original. The mine cart chase from Temple Of Doom. The tank rescue from Last Crusade.
Having Indy attempt a death-defying leap and put his back out or break a hip is not what the character deserves.
I’d rather watch Crystal Skull again than see that.
Originally published as Indiana Jones 5 movie falls victim to coronavirus curse