George Lucas on a Fifth Indiana Jones 



Fox News' Roger Friedman caught up with George Lucas at the Cannes Film Festival who revealed there's more than a strong possibility there will be a fifth "Indiana Jones" movie.

He says that he and director Steven Spielberg have left the door open for a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

"I haven't even told Steven or Harrison this," he told Friedman. "But I have an idea to make Shia [LaBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.

Spielberg eyes more Indiana films



Steven Spielberg has said he is happy to make another Indiana Jones movie if fans enjoy the long-awaited fourth film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The director joined stars Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf at the film's premiere in Cannes.

Asked at a press conference if he wanted to make another film, he said: "Only if you want more.

"That's why we made this Indiana Jones. We'll certainly have our ear to the ground to hear what happens."

"That'll decide were we go from here," Spielberg added.

The film attracted the likes of Natalie Portman, Sean Penn, Goldie Hawn, Salma Hayek, Dennis Hopper, Christian Slater, Billy Zane and Kelly Brook to its showpiece screening.

The BBC's Mark Savage said it was "very much in the style of the first three films". "The set-piece stunts are second to none," he added.

"There's also a sly acknowledgement of internet rumours that that Shia LaBeouf will take over the franchise," he continued.

Early reviews have been mixed - British movie magazine Empire's Damon Wise said it was "a slick, fun film", while the Daily Telegraph's David Gritten called it "undeniably creaky".

But leading man Ford, now 65, said he was not afraid of what critics thought.

"I expect to have the whip turned on me. It is not unusual for something that is popular to be disdained by some people and I fully expect it," he said.

"I'm not really worried about it. I work for the people who pay to get in - they are my customers.

"My focus is on providing the best experience I can for those people."

Ford, who made his debut in the role in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, described the new film as a "celebration of the movies".

He added that he was delighted to see it create such a stir at Cannes, with fans holding up signs saying "need Indy ticket".

"I'm delighted that we have the opportunity to release a film now because for a couple of generations, young people have just been seeing this on DVD at home," he said.

"Now we get the chance to see it in the cinema, where it's meant to be seen. I'm very excited about that."

The film opens in 1957 at the height of the Cold War, and that the hero is on the search for a solid gold skull stolen from a lost city and guarded by the living dead.

Spielberg tried to make the film using old-fashioned B-movie techniques, rather than computer graphics, in keeping with the original trilogy.

Scenes in the trailer show Ford make a joking reference to his age.

"This isn't as easy as I remember," he quips.

George Lucas on a Fifth Indiana Jones

With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull having earned a massive $743.7 million worldwide (#27 on the all-time worldwide list), The Sunday Times asked George Lucas if he, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford would be up for a fifth film:

"We were hoping for box-office figures like that, which is, ultimately, with inflation, what the others have done, within 10%," Lucas explains. "So, we squeaked up there. Really, though, it was a challenge getting the story together and getting everybody to agree on it. Indiana Jones only becomes complicated when you have another two people saying 'I want it this way' and 'I want it that way', whereas, when I first did Jones, I just said, 'We'll do it this way' — and that was much easier. But now I have to accommodate everybody, because they are all big, successful guys, too, so it's a little hard on a practical level.

"If I can come up with another idea that they like, we'll do another. Really, with the last one, Steven wasn't that enthusiastic. I was trying to persuade him. But now Steve is more amenable to doing another one. Yet we still have the issues about the direction we'd like to take. I'm in the future; Steven's in the past. He's trying to drag it back to the way they were, I'm trying to push it to a whole different place. So, still we have a sort of tension. This recent one came out of that. It's kind of a hybrid of our own two ideas, so we'll see where we are able to take the next one."

Lucas in 'Think Mode' for Indiana Jones 5

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Harrison Ford said Friday that momentum is building for a fifth movie in the "Indiana Jones" franchise and that George Lucas is already cooking up a suitable plot.

"It's crazy but great," the 66-year-old Ford said. "George is in think mode right now."

Hitting DVD and Blu-ray Disc on October 14th, Indiana Jones the the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has made $783.7 million worldwide compared to its budget of $185 million.

"It's automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it's not surprising that some people want to do it again," Ford said.

Mutt Williams to Return in Indiana Jones V?

Shia LaBeouf has plans to once again star alongside Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones as his son, Mutt Williams, says a report from ShowbizSpy.

The actor is quoted as saying that he's been pitched the idea for the fifth film in the franchise by Steven Spielberg himself.

"They're script writing right now," said LaBeouf, "...[I]t sounds crazy. It sounds really cool."

Though it's impossible to say how long the writing process might take, LaBeouf's comments seem to be the first confirmation that a fifth Indiana Jones adventure will indeed be a sequel to 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, for example, was technically a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, a storytelling technique that George Lucas and Spielberg don't seem to have plans to revisit.

Two More 'Indiana Jones' Sequels are Coming; Chris Pratt Might Be Our Next Indy?

Everyone loves "Indiana Jones," but Harrison Ford as the fictional archaeologist hero at 71 years old calls for a reboot.

And yet he's still involved with the "Indiana Jones" series.

Back in February, MarketSaw reported that Ford is still in the running for at least two more films in the franchise as everyone's favorite hat-and-whip adventurer. Here's what their source claimed, "Regarding Harrison Ford, two more Indiana Jones features are in the negotiation stages as per Ford's contract clause on Star Wars, which is the primary reason he didn't 'publicly' or 'privately' commit, or so I'm told."

Despite the fact that Ford can still command the screen as an aging Jones, it has been suggested that there a possibility that the franchise would be passing the torch/hat/whip/snark to a more younger actor.

Which is exactly what KpopStarz is reporting. According to the site, Ford will "pass on his character" to Chris Pratt, who's currently hot thanks to his series of blockbuster films. Pratt has starred in "The Lego Movie" and "Guardians of the Galaxy," which are all acclaimed by critics and commercial successes. Pratt is set to debut in another massive franchise via "Jurassic World." Moreover, it has been insinuated that Pratt's Star-Lord/Peter Quill character has prepared him for the Harrison's role since his "Guardians of the Galaxy" character has been deemed as "Indy in space."

But Pratt might have stiff competition for the coveted role, if it is intended to be passed on. The site cited recent rumors about Bradley Cooper and Robert Pattinson eyeing for the same role. However, the actors in question have publicly stated that the rumors were fake.

Fandango also pondered with the idea of Pratt as the next actor to lead the franchise, and recalled a mockup of him as the next Indiana Jones. The photoshop appeared surreal, given the fact that Pratt wore clothes in the same monochromatic browns in his role as a rugged scientist in the upcoming "Jurassic Park" sequel.