It looks like audiences will have to wait a little longer for Harrison Ford to don the hat and whip one last time as Variety has reported that Indiana Jones 5 will not make its previous July 10, 2020 release date. The film’s release has been pushed back because their production start date of April 2019 is no longer a possibility.
Indiana Jones 5 was supposed to start filming in the U.K. next April, but according to Variety “key members of the creative team have yet to sign off on a finished script”. This is because Collider had reported earlier Jonathan Kasdan (Solo: A Star Wars Story) has been hired to work on Indy 5, replacing former writer and frequent Spielberg collaborator David Koepp on the film.
However, Collider stresses they do not know the length of Kasdan’s involvement in the script if he is merely rewriting or polishing Koepp’s draft or starting it from scratch. It is also unclear when exactly Kasdan came onboard the film, if it was before or after the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story and when or why Koepp left the project.
This will not be the first time a Kasdan has written and Indiana Jones film. Jonathan’s father, Lawrence Kasdan, wrote the original film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and also did an uncredited polish of the previous film in the franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The pair recently wrote the script for Solo: A Star Wars Story together.
It is unknown when Indiana Jones 5 will now begin production or have a new release date. Steven Spielberg is set to return as director and has stated this will mark Harrison Ford’s final portrayal of Indy, though he is open to a reboot of some type.