Indiana Jones 5 Reveals New Theme Music For Harrison Ford’s Replacement As Indy
John Williams hasn't lost it!
- John Williams surprised attendants of the Hollywood Bowl with a sneak peek at the new character in Indiana Jones 5 played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, revealing her theme music and name.
He may be 90 years old, but legendary John Williams hasn’t lost his touch. The composer appeared at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday for his annual Maestro of the Movies concert. Williams surprised the crowd not only with music from the upcoming Indiana Jones 5, but by spilling some of the first details about the character played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who will reportedly be replacing the eponymous hero in his role as archaeologist/adventurer.
The music Williams premiered at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday was “Helena’s Theme” which, the composer revealed, was for Waller-Bridge’s character. Williams described Helena of Indiana Jones 5 as “an adventuress, and also a femme fatale.” He described the theme with, “She has a kind of lyrical music, like an old movie star.” You can see the performance, and Williams’s introduction, below.
Telling us the first name of Waller-Bridge’s character still leaves us in the dark about a lot of Indiana Jones 5, but we aren’t left completely without hints. Over a year ago we published an exclusive scoop that the upcoming sequel would involve time travel, and our story was confirmed by an insider in October. Since then reports have surfaced regarding Harrison Ford’s hero possibly fighting Roman gladiators and/or centurions in the film, as well as the actor being digitally de-aged for much of the story. While we still don’t know about the villain–who will be played by Mads Mikkelsen (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)–some reports suggest his character will be a former Nazi scientist recruited by the United States to help them win the Space Race. According to these reports, Mikkelsen’s villain will be seeking an artifact capable of time travel in the hopes of reviving the Third Reich.
As ScreenRant notes, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is best known as the lead of the British dramedy Fleabag in which she plays a character nothing like what Williams describes: “an adventuress, and also a femme fatale.” So the new role will certainly play hard against type. It’s widely believed that Indiana Jones 5 will be Ford’s last time playing the iconic hero–perhaps even his final movie altogether–and that the sequel will see Waller-Bridge’s Helena take up the mantle.
Another veteran of the franchise who may be stepping down from the business of movie-making is composer John Williams. As Variety notes, while he hasn’t confirmed it, Williams hinted Indiana Jones 5 may very well be his final film. If so, then no one will be able to accuse the five-time Oscar winner of forgetting to leave behind an incredible legacy. He’s best known for composing music in blockbuster properties like Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Superman, and Jurassic Park; but his range reaches far beyond those franchises. His composition portfolio includes the scores to The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Witches of Eastwick, Schindler’s List, JFK, Hook, Saving Private Ryan, Memoirs of a Geisha, Lincoln, and many more.
Indiana Jones 5 had been scheduled to release this July, but in October came the word that the sequel was pushed back to June 30, 2023. The delay came as part of a series of pushbacks from Disney-owned properties, including shifts that impacted almost Marvel Studios’ entire post-2021 release slate.
