75-year-old Harrison Ford is set to hang up his boots as rope swinging, bull-whipping, leather jacket wearing archeologist, Indiana Jones, once the fifth film is out the way.
However that isn’t to say that Indiana’s adventures will cease completely, with Steven Spielberg claiming that the franchise will ‘certainly continue’.
Although the biggest news is that when Ford leaves the set for good – after starring as Indiana Jones from start to finish – Spielberg wants a woman to take his place.
Speaking to The Sun, Spielberg, who has been an open supporter of the Time’s Up campaign for gender equality in the film industry, apparently nodded when asked if the character could be played by a woman.
He added:
We’d have to change the name from Jones to Joan. And there would be nothing wrong with that. This will be Harrison Ford’s last Indiana Jones movie, I am pretty sure, but it will certainly continue after that.
Spielberg is no stranger to powerful women – being raised almost singlehandedly by his mother Leah, who sadly passed away last year, as his father was a workaholic.
The Schindler’s List director told The Sun:
My mom was strong. She had a voice, she had a very strong opinion. I have been very lucky to be influenced by women, several of whom I have just loved madly — my mom and my wife.
Spielberg’s wife is actor Kate Chapshaw whom he married back in 1991. As you may already know Chapshaw starred alongside Harrison Ford in the second Indiana Jones film, where Spielberg first met her.
Whether or not Indiana Jones does transform into Indiana Joan, only time will tell, however Spielberg’s past certainly suggests the transition is a definite possibility.
Unlike many other film makers, Spielberg always tries to pay his male and female lead actors the same wage.
Most recently, Spielberg did so in Ready Player One starring British actress Olivia Cooke and Tye Sheridan however this was also carried out in his recent classic, The Post.
Speaking on equal pay, Spielberg said:
Everyone was equally paid. And on The Post, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep got the same pay cheque exactly, right down to the perks.
Good man.
So far, there is little known about the upcoming Indiana Jones film. What is known, however, is that filming will begin next year and the film is set to be released in 2020.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show last year, Harrison Ford explained:
I’m looking forward to working with Steven [Spielberg] again and to revisiting the character later in life. It’s interesting to see it in a different light. It will be fun and a good thing to do.
However unfortunately for Crystal Skull fans, Shia LaBeouf won’t be featuring in the film – despite earlier claims that he may be one to take over from Ford when he hangs up his boots.
What do you think about the possibility of a female Indiana Jones?
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