The good folks at Disney and Lucasfilm decided to kick off December in style with our first look at the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It’s a slick, nicely edited trailer loaded with dramatic and exciting action shots but little in the way of story, characters, or plot. But the nearly two-minute clip hits all the nostalgia buttons, complete with John Williams’s iconic theme music. And I don’t care how old Ford is at this point; watching him wield that famous bullwhip makes me feel like a ten-year-old kid again.
Joining Ford is franchise veteran John Rhys-Davies returning as Sallah, along with newcomers Antonio Banderas, Boyd Holbrook, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Mads Mikkelsen. The inclusion of the talented Waller-Bridge is intriguing as the teaser hints that she may be Indiana’s goddaughter. And I’m glad that Steven Spielberg handed directing reigns to the underrated James Mangold, as the franchise needs new creative blood behind the camera. Mangold proved his mettle directing 2017’s Logan, Hugh Jackman’s swan song to his iconic X-Men character Wolverine. Let’s hope Mangold can work that same magic for the Indiana Jones franchise.
Despite the exciting preview, the scars of 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull run deep. The flawed fourth entry, which clumsily brought back Karen Allen’s Marion and introduced Shia LaBeouf as Indy’s son Mutt, nearly sunk the franchise. I’m glad they coaxed Ford back for one more entry, hopefully, to close out his Indiana Jones with a proper and exciting finale. I was always of the mind that Lucasfilm should embrace their inner James Bond and recast the role. I know that’s heresy to some, as many fans have pointed out that it’s hard to separate Ford from his most cherished part. But they said the same thing about Sean Connery as James Bond, a recasting gamble that kept the Bond franchise alive for 60-plus years.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens on June 30th, 2023. Watch the trailer below and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Chad, I saw your remarks over on Keith’s site as well. Man, I just have to believe Ford has enough trusted people around him to ensure he wouldn’t have dove back into this role unless it came off great. The trailer is perfect. Opening it for the 4th of July. Yeah, I think this is gonna turn out just fine for moviegoers of all ages. I’m forgetting all about the last entry in the franchise and will be sitting in the IMAX theatre when it opens…providing the theatre doesn’t close by then, of course. 🙂
Bruce, I agree that Ford wouldn’t come back unless the material was something special. He’s had a good track record of revisiting his classic franchise roles with “The Force Awakens” and “Blade Runner 2049: so I’m hoping he’ll keep the ball rolling. This will most likely be Ford’s swan song unless Lucasfilm wants to recast the role. Anyway, this was a great trailer, and I can’t wait to see it, most definitely in the theatre, of course!