Disney Scrapped Plans for New 'Indiana Jones' Movie

Harrison Ford’s swansong as Indiana Jones didn’t go as expected at the box office and it has many wondering if something else is in store.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) saw a highly-anticipated release, as it was billed as Harrison Ford’s final bout putting on the iconic hat and cracking the whip as Dr. Jones.

However, it didn’t take long for Disney and Lucasfilm to be hit with disappointment as the film brought in an underwhelming $60 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend. The film has gone on to gross just a little more than $384 million globally, compared to a massive production budget of more than $300 million. Just for reference, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brought in more than $786.6 million at the box office with a smaller budget.

Now, as fans continue to look back at “what could have been” with the fifth– and likely final– installment of the franchise, one idea continues to come to the forefront.

There were multiple rumors prior to the film’s release that Ke Huy Quan could make his return to the franchise after nearly 40 years away from the films. Of course, Ke Huy Quan played Short Round in the first two Indiana Jones movies in 1981 and 1984.

Multiple reports came forward as production was happening that Disney was considering bringing the actor— who has since gained immense experience as a stunt coordinator– back, but the company ultimately elected to go in a different direction. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Helena Shaw) and Mads Mikkelsen (Jurgen Voller) were brought in to play the lead roles around Harrison Ford, but there’s no doubt that fans would’ve loved to see Short Round return for the sake of nostalgia and the potential stories that could’ve been told with the two characters reuniting.

If Disney were to move forward with a sixth installment— which seems unlikely– it would be fun to see Ke Huy Quan come back to the franchise, but for now, we’ll likely have to be content with the ending of Indiana Jones 5 because it doesn’t look promising that Harrison Ford will be changing his mind.

One rumor that came forward had to do with concept art, where Indiana Jones and Short Round would team up to fight zombies. However, Inside the Magic’s Nathan Kamal spoke with ILM concept artist Saby Menyhei, who shared that this was a clever idea for fan art, not something officially released by Disney.

“I’m [a] huge Indiana Jones fan since I was a kid – it’s always fun to paint Indy on adventures we haven’t seen in the movies,” they told ITM.

The Indiana Jones franchise, created by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg, is a legendary series that follows the adventures of the iconic archaeologist Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr. The journey begins with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), where Indy battles Nazis in a quest for the Ark of the Covenant. The action-packed saga continues in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), taking our hero to India to confront a cult.

The third installment, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), introduces Sean Connery as Indy’s father and explores the Holy Grail. After a hiatus, the franchise returned with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), where Harrison Ford reprised his role, facing Soviet adversaries and mysterious artifacts. Then, of course, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released earlier this year.

What do you think should happen with the Indiana Jones franchise moving forward? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!