Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold recently explained why the upcoming sequel will begin with a de-aged Indiana Jones. 80-year-old Harrison Ford dons the iconic fedora one last time in a new chapter of the titular adventurer’s life. Set in 1969 during the height of the United States space race with the Soviet Union, Jones becomes troubled by the fact that NASA is using former Nazis in their endeavors. When Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) attempts to use the Moon landings as cover for his ulterior motives, Jones must partner with his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), to stop him.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Mangold explained why Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny begins with a sequence featuring a de-aged Jones. Instead of assuming the audience holds the past films in memory, the director wants to show who Jones was as a heroic adventurer and create a sense of visual “whiplash” to the character in his 70s. Mangold wants audiences to relive who Jones was in the past and see the man he has become in a new era. Read what the director said below:
“It reminds the audience of the contrast between a hero in his physical prime and a hero at 70. We’re not relying solely on the audience’s memory of the previous films. It reminds everyone what he’s done, what he’s survived, what he’s accomplished. By showing him in his most hearty and then finding him at 70 in New York City, it produces for the audience a kind of wonderful whiplash of how they’re going to have to readjust and retool their brains for this guy. His past is a live memory for the audience, hanging over a man who is now living with anonymity in a world that no longer cares or recognizes the things he felt so deeply about. You’re left with a multilayered perception of his character, both what he was and what he is, and how the world is different between the first 20 minutes of the movie.”
Will Indiana Jones 5 Recapture the Magic of the Original Movies?
Writer-director George Lucas wanted to create a series of films that were inspired by the swashbuckling adventure theatrical serials of the 1930s and 40s. With creative partner Stephen Spielberg, the two created a pop culture icon in Raiders of the Lost Ark that will more than likely be looked to as the pinnacle of its genre. As a result, any attempt to recapture the magic within those films will likely not live up to the original.
Lucas and Spielberg initially felt Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a perfect cinematic ending. However, the franchise continued on television The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Eventually, Lucas reunited with Spielberg for a fourth film in the franchise, bringing an older Indy into the Cold War with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. With a desire to revisit the imagery and themes of what made the original films great, Spielberg instead found himself facing the ire of many critics and viewers alike as the film failed to live up to expectations.
However, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is unique in that it is embracing its change, a theme at the heart of the upcoming film. Mangold, a new director to the franchise, wants to honor what came before while delivering a satisfying conclusion to the beloved character and film series. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is set to land in theaters June 30.
This content was originally published here.
