Harrison Ford Being Replaced As Indiana Jones By An Up And Coming Actress?

Could an actress be replacing Harrison Ford as the new Indiana Jones?

By Michileen Martin | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

harrison ford indiana jones 5

Harrison Ford was in his late thirties when 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters. He’s 79 now and for years there’s been speculation about who, if anyone, might eventually succeed Ford in the iconic role of Indiana Jones. Names like Chris Pratt and Chris Pine have been batted around, but according to a new report, the next Indiana Jones might be a woman.

In a new report from the Daily Mail (via the New York Post), the upcoming Indiana Jones 5 will see Phoebe Waller-Bridge replace Harrison Ford as the film’s hero. Unnamed sources claimed the seismic shift in the franchise is coming courtesy of Lucasfilm president and Indiana Jones 5 producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Without even the release of a title for the upcoming sequel, it’s difficult to confirm or debunk anything much less something quite this drastic. However, at least one constant of the Indiana Jones franchise does make it seem doubtful: Harrison Ford. The actor has gone on record saying that he has no intention of being replaced as Indiana Jones and that when he dies in real life, that’s it! No more Indy. In fact, in response to the New York Post’s article, Twitter user Lord Belacqua posted the Today Show clip from 2019 when Ford said, “Don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone.”

On one hand, you could argue that technically Harrison Ford has no real say on what happens with Indiana Jones once he steps down from the role. But keep in mind that the Daily Mail’s report doesn’t state Waller-Bridge would simply be named Ford’s successor in Indiana Jones 5, but that she would replace him during the events of the upcoming film. With that being the case, would Ford — if he feels so passionately that he and his character are inseparable — willingly sign on to a movie in which he would be replaced before the credits rolled? That doesn’t seem likely.

We received our own exclusive report on what to expect in Indiana Jones 5 in July. Our trusted and proven source told us Waller-Bridge will be playing British reporter Clara Wolfe. Harrison Ford’s adventurous archaeologist and Wolfe will uncover a massive plot involving the Space Race and time travel. Mads Mikkelsen will play a scientist who once worked for the Nazis, but was recruited by the United States as part of Operation Paperclip, just like the real life rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. Mikkelsen’s character will use some form of time travel to change the outcome of World War II, which will give Indiana Jones a chance to face off against the Nazis one final time.

Could both our scoop and the Daily Mail’s be right? Possibly. It seems criminal for any successor to Indiana Jones to be any profession other than an archaeologist. But, our source did tell us Waller-Bridge’s character will be Indy’s former student, so it could be archaeology is her passion but she’s working as a reporter to pay the bills.

Indiana Jones idol

We’ll just have to wait until next summer to know for certain what to expect from Indiana Jones 5. All we know for sure now is to expect one more adventure from Harrison Ford’s pulpy protagonist, and that it’s scheduled for a theatrical release of July 28, 2022.