Star Wars has been getting all the attention, but Disney has quietly tied up the rights to Indiana Jones as well, possibly suspending them over a lava pit. So, what’s coming with Indy? Not much, for now.
A reporter for Variety weighed in with this tweet, as discovered by /Film:
Disney's Bob Iger: "We'd love to make another Indiana Jones movie but we're pacing ourselves right now," launching Star Wars first.
— Marc Graser (@marcgraser) December 10, 2014
That’s interesting not least because the studio appears to have locked up an Oscar-winning cinematographer to work on the movie, which is generally not something you do when you’re taking your time on a movie.
Still, there are some moving parts here. There are no Indiana Jones movies without Spielberg being somehow involved, and it’s not clear whether he’d be willing to come back. Finding a replacement for the franchise’s defining director would be something of a tall order in and of itself. And, of course, they don’t have a script yet, and Harrison Ford may not be physically up to it.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to see Disney letting a franchise lie fallow for long. So expect some sort of movement on Indy, and sooner than Disney is indicating.