It was only a few years ago that it was starting to look like Indiana Jones 5 wasn't ever going to become a reality. For some, that came as welcome news after 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the disappointing movie that brought Harrison Ford back to one of his most iconic roles after a 19-year absence.
Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas were plotting out story ideas prior to Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, with the former officially announced as Indiana Jones 5's helmer in 2016. Set for release in 2019, it was pushed to 2021 before Spielberg walked away from the project, agreeing to hand control of the iconic character to a different filmmaker.
Shortly after, Logan director James Mangold was tapped by Lucasfilm to take the helm of the project. That's led to an increased level of excitement for the movie, especially after Empire Magazine recently started pulling back the curtain on this long-awaited (latest) return for Ford's iconic adventurer.
However, while we got to see many characters, Antonio Bandaras' wasn't among them (though he was previously spotted on set looking a little less suave than normal).
He recently spoke to Collider (via ActioNewz.com), though, and confirmed he will only make a cameo appearance in Indiana Jones 5. Despite that, it sounds like he will still play an essential role in the story.
"My character is very little; it's almost a cameo. He's just a friend of Indiana's character, and he's looking for him because he needs something from his friend," Banderas explains. "But he just takes up very little time of the movie, but very happy to be part of a saga that is of the history of motion pictures, obviously."
It's a little surprising that an actor like Banderas only has a relatively minor role in proceedings, though it's a good indication that Mangold has filled his cast with as many huge names as possible. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, and John Rhys-Davies will be among them.
Indiana Jones 5 is set to be released in theaters on June 30, 2023.