Summary
TheIndiana Jonesfranchise is one of the most iconic of all time. It is a huge intellectual property for Disney, which is why it’s likely the company will look to create more content from it in the future. 2023’sIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyproved that Disney isn’t done with the character, and there’s certainly an audience out there for more.
However, now might be the right time to change the approach to this franchise and how things are handled. After five movies, there’s a great opportunity to exploreIndiana Joneswith a television series format.
Indiana Jones' History Would Make A Great Television Series
Indiana Joneshastold some amazing storiesover the years, but the character’s history is something that could still be explored in more detail. There’s an opportunity with Disney Plus to create a television show based around the character and the start of his adventures, looking at how he got into that line of work and the dangers he found himself in earlier on in life. It can look at romance, family, and friendship, but doing so in the form of a television series would just shake things up and allow for a different style of storytelling. However, an adventure series is perfect for this character and could provide some exciting episodes that explore the world in a thrilling manner.
For the latest movie, Disney opted to keep Harrison Ford in the lead role as they used technology to de-age him to make the character appear younger. That proved that Disney is at least thinking aboutthe possible changes that need to be made, and a television series opens that up as Disney could recast Indiana Jones. Allowing someone to play a younger version of the character would make a lot of sense, and there’s less of a risk involved if that happens on a streaming platform. If Disney recast the role in a feature film, there could be an uproar of negativity, but the lower stakes would benefit Disney in making such a bold decision.
Harrison Ford Can Still Be Included
Of course, recasting Indiana Jones would raise a lot of eyebrows due to how beloved Ford is in that role. It’s one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history, so the idea that he wouldn’t be wearing the iconic hat or cracking the whip could be something that people aren’t happy with. However, with the idea of a television series, it would be very easy to write Ford into the show to make the transition to a younger Indiana Jones easier and something that people would be more on board with.Ford’s recent role inShrinkingproves that the legendary actor is open to taking on television roles right now, and blending Indiana Jones into that would only make him more excited.
Ford could appear as a current-day Jones, older in life and looking to tell stories about his past. This could allow him to pop up at times talking to other characters while potentially having him in a narrator role as well. The time periods could be linked with the right writing, too, allowing Ford to have one more action-paced moment. It could be pushed as a way to end his version of the character, too, adding a more emotional and dramatic aspect.
It Could Extend The Life Of The Indiana Jones Franchise
Even though Ford returned to the role ofIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it’s unlikely at his age that he will be able to give audiences another feature-length film in this role. Adding him to a potential television series would get people talking and attract audiences to the show, but this could be the ideal way to pass on the whip and allow someone else to take on the character moving forward. Of course, this would depend on the television series and the actor chosen to perform well, but if that happens, it could give the franchise a fresh lifeline that Disney would be able to tap into for years to come while alsoadding a thrilling series to Disney Plus. The lower risk would open people up to the idea of someone else in the role, and if it catches on, then a sixth movie could be created.
Again, this would need to be done in the past as a prequel to what people have already seen, but adding more legacy and lore to the character isn’t something that fans will turn their noses up at. It proves that the television series could feed into the franchise to move forward andallow Indiana Jones to last for years to come. That would be a benefit for Disney considering the popularity of the franchise, while it would allow a brand new generation of moviegoers to experience the brilliance of anIndiana Jonesfilm on the big screen.
