The next Indiana Jones film will almost certainly mark the end of Harrison Ford's run as the famed professor of archaeology. And now the 76-year-old actor has weighed in on who he wants to take over the role of Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr. after him.
“Nobody is going to be Indiana Jones, don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones,” Ford laughingly said on the set of NBC's Today when asked who he would choose as his replacement. “When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy.”
2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull almost set the stage for Indy's replacement in the form of his son, Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf. Ford was against the passing of the fedora to LaBeouf back in 2010 and for many reasons that no longer appears to be the direction of the franchise.
“What are you talking about? It’s mine,” Ford told Time in 2010. “I would love to do another Indiana Jones movie. George Lucas is working on an idea now. Shia can get his own hat. I earned that hat.”
Fans have since called for Chris Pratt to lead the franchise in a potential reboot. Pratt has risen to become quite the box office superstar and his role in Jurassic World, in particular, jump-started the conversation of becoming the next Indiana Jones.
Ford actually addressed the speculation of Pratt taking on the role, though it seems he mixed up two of Hollywood's Chrises. “This is a hell of a way to tell Chris Pine this,” Ford said. “I’m sorry, man.”
Disney probably isn't keen on letting the Indiana Jones franchise go when Ford finally steps away and a reboot seems almost certain. However, there are directions the studio can go to continue the adventures in his name without it actually being Indiana Jones.
In the meantime, we have at least one more Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, and he'll team up with Steven Spielberg, who helmed all four previous films. Indiana Jones 5 is set to hit theaters on July 9, 2021.