Replacing Ford as Jones? Would it be a sin?

I'd rather see them recast Mutt and pass the torch to him. You can't replace Harrison Ford as Indy, but I wouldn't mind him being regulated to a supporting character.

 

I wish they'd completely reboot the series at this point. Maybe utilize Harrison for Old Indy bookends à la the Young Indy series.

The problem is the timeline. I don't want to see hippies, bellbottoms and Disco. Dear God, that's how far forward the series would have to go to meet Harrison's age when this is finally made. They could show Star Wars on a marquee! Indy belongs in the early 20th century colonial adventure era (1910s-1940s and no later would be preferable). Reboot Indy in the 1920s-1930s. There's a nice little gap that's post-Flanery/pre-Ford. Indy being born in 1899 is the biggest problem with Indy 5 using Harrison for the main adventure.

Trust me, I'm a massive Harrison fangirl. Han and Indy are two of my favorite-ever characters and Harrison is one of my favorite-ever actors.

I think they need to go pre-Temple. You could fit a trilogy or even a series between the 1920-1935 gap.

The biggest issue with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was that it was more focused on being edutainment, teaching viewers about historical events and having Indy meet tons of historical figures, rather than be an action-adventure series (though I adore it) more in line with the Ford films. One of the few episodes that was truly action-adventure was Peacock's Eye. And with few exceptions (like Dracula), the adventures were decidedly unmystical.

One could marry the concept of Young Indy to the Indy trilogy format with the main magical MacGuffin with a mid-adventure prologue. And go back to Indy having a girl at every port.

One could introduce Abner and Young Marion, though I suspect actually dealing with the fact that the Raiders script had Marion being 15 years old (Lucas wanted even younger, but Spielberg and Kasdan upped it) and Indy being in his 20s might be a bit touchy these days! The Young Indy series didn't shy away from Indy's sexual exploits (Carrie Fisher actually wrote the episode about Indy losing his virginity to Mata Hari) and was indeed going to show the Abner/Marion/Indy situation had the series continued.

But I also want the Indy series to get its guts back with showing edgier, darker, grisly adventures with more adult humor. Lucas and Spielberg's biggest change since the '80s is that they're obsessed with making everything more kid-friendly and things from them have been largely weak and watered down since (though they were mostly okay through the early '90s, it's really post-Y2K where they've lost it). Embrace that Indy was always a full-throated PG-13 franchise back when PG actually meant PG-13 and was actually skirting the edge towards R in both Raiders (fire was placed in front of Belloq's exploding head to prevent an R rating) and Temple (lots of parental group backlash and helped bring about the PG-13 rating along with Gremlins). Indy 5 has to bring back the more adult elements.

I also fear that the world is currently too PC for Indy's world, both in regards to his sexual exploits (no more jokes about the Sultan's harem in Madagascar, underage Marion, students batting their eyelids and father/son sleeping with the same woman) and foreign cultures (whiners about the dinner scene don't realize that was the giveaway that Pankot Palace was very, very wrong for Indian culture--a deleted scene with Blumburt even commented on it, but it was a spoiler for the later reveal). Even depicting colonialism and half-naked natives is going to be seriously touchy. Trying to make it inoffensive will make in offensive as an Indy film.

Absolutely KILL the CGI overload over-reliance. No more CGI ants. They need to hire snake, vermin and bug people with the real things crawling around on set. Remember that Indy's world is drenched in orange, red and brown (break every single rule of current trends in cinematography--it must be Douglas Slocombe's old-school style) with a lot of sweat, sand and dirt in very real locations around the world (some being pretty untouched by time, even bringing uncomfortable risks like food poisoning and Harrison having his knee run over by a plane in Tunisia and not wanting to go to the doctor there), not a ghastly over-lit green filter. Stuntmen (like the days when they actually had Vic Armstrong move underneath a truck) and practical effects technicians need to get a workout. Indy needs to be sent to wilder locales instead of the unfortunate U.S. shoot of KotCS that lacked foreign shooting to the point where it was noticeable how fake it was. This is why I don't want Spielberg directing Indy 5. He doesn't seem to be up to crazy, foreign shoots these days.

Speaking of stuntmen whom I know have the ability to think up really good practical stunts (Vic Armstrong is definitely too old at this point), I couldn't help but notice that Mike Massa was hired to double Harrison for TFA. Massa is most famous for doubling David Boreanaz through Buffy/Angel and being the stunt coordinator for Angel. He's someone I'd trust completely with bringing back old-school stunts that are up to the old-school Indy standard that don't just take it in the unnatural CGI direction. Dangerous but not completely unbelievable needs to be heeded (something KotCS got wrong).

I love the Indy concept too much to want to see it forced into an unnatural era for adventurous grave robber!archaeology because of the timeline. After WWII, the world changed too much for Indy's style of adventures to fit in it.

 

I am announcing myself as Madam President of the "Let's Get Mark Harmon to by Indy" camp.

 

MEH!... That's true.

 

A new character in the same world, that I can see fairly easily; recasting Indiana Jones himself, that's harder to imagine being satisfactory.

But I'll say this--a good, well-written and genuinely spirited film with a new actor would be better than a tired, ill-conceived film with Harrison Ford. I just rewatched part of Cyrstal Skull and man, does look fake/ugly and feel like it's running on fumes.

 

It would be a sin, he can't be replaced.

 

i can't see another actor as Indiana Jones. If and when they do it they need a serious actor. Think back to Raiders. To me he was almost a Bogart-type of character. I don't want to see some jokey kind of actor in there, but i'm afraid that's route they'd go.

 

If Aiden Eherenrich nails Han Solo like Karl Urban nailed McCoy in the Star Trek reboot, I reckon he could pull off Indy too.

 

^ That's a big if. I hope he does, but I'm not counting on it.

 

He's got the look. Crossing my fingers that he's got whatever else it takes too.

 

Hey, I loved the Young Indy series, I thought the did a great job with it. Having said that though, as long as Harrison Ford is alive, he should always be the main actor playing Indy.

 

This is basically why I don't want Chris Pratt. That guy is at his best playing lovable goofballs, like Star-Lord in GOTG, or Denzel Washington's second in The Magnificent Seven. When put into a somewhat more badass role in Jurassic World, I wasn't that impressed (YMMV).

Note that Ford had a goofball side too, it's just not as far down on the scale as Pratt, IMO. Put in Star Wars terms, I could see Pratt playing Dash Rendar, but not Han Solo.

 

If Pratt played Dash Rendar, I might actually not hate the character.

Maybe.

 

I don't think they'll recast but reboot the series somewhat with a new title like Raiders of and new characters.

 

Colin O'Donoghue has the correct look, height (something Alden doesn't have) and build, as well as a large nose and a similar longer face shape (neither of which Alden has). He has a deep enough voice and has some mature gravitas that can put out a more dangerous edge (Harrison is an extremely intimidating person, so that's a good thing). He's also masculine in the old-fashioned way (definitely hairy-chested) without any of the manscaped look. Although blue eyes and Irish (though he's done American accents for various movies going back to The Rite and uses a fake English accent for Hook), he's one of the few actors I can think of that has something of the look and build. He has a strong and masculine-enough face and similarly-proportioned physique that the silhouette is going to be right (Indy has a very important silhouette). Colin's hair often seems to be of the black Irish variety, though his beard is actually ginger. He does darken his hair, including his beard, for Hook, so just pull that away and lighten it slightly.

Colin seems to be a weak 5'11" (perhaps 5'10"). Harrison used to be tall when he was a bit under 6'1", though was more so a flat 6' in the '80s (note that he's had so many injuries, including in his back, that he was losing inches starting with his back injury on Temple in 1983--he's down to 5'10"-5'11" these days) and was buff, but more slim in Raiders.

And he's well versed in playing an action hero-similar role. He's also nearing the end of his time on Once Upon a Time as Hook, so he'll be freed up very shortly. He can play edgy and serious, though he's naturally a goody-two-shoe sweetie pie. He's someone who has the acting chops to do the quiet, brooding thing and not just go completely quippy comedy with the role. An Indy recast should go for a serious dramatic actor over a merely funny one. He's in his mid-30s, but could easily play a more early-30s Indy (he looks a lot more baby-faced without the beard). Further more, he's a good actor and a capable leading man who looks natural in an action role (given that his current role involves a lot of sword swashbuckling).

Back in the days when everyone compared Nathan Fillion's Mal Reynolds to Han Solo, not to mention how he usually got lumped in with David Boreanaz as the Jossverse's big Alpha hero types (especially as Fillion actually tried out for the part of Angel), I always used to roll my eyes because of the goofy, parody edge he had (similar to John Barrowman's entire vibe, minus the gay) in comparison to both Harrison and David's abilities to actually give actual dramatic performances and not just act like a macho joke machines with not an ounce of edge, maturity or seriousness and who look the part but are anything but. Chris Pratt, from all I've heard, seems to be another example of the Alpha hero type played as a funny series of jokes and as a joke, rather than a serious character with dramatic material. Colin actually comes to mind as someone who has the serious acting chops. He can be quite funny, but it's not his entire persona.

 

I've already stated that I'd prefer a new hero, unrelated to Indy. Perhaps an anthropologist or maybe not even an academic type.

After watching TFA many times, it seems to me that who ever this new character may be, he should be played by Oscar Isaac. He's got the swashbuckling thing down pat.

Harrison was in both franchises (Indy, SW), and I think Oscar is the one who should follow his lead.

 

I'm of the camp that would prefer going back-a young Indy adventure trilogy or something. If they want Harrison Ford, I suppose he could narrate it or be bookended as writing a memoir/telling the story to someone, LOTR/Hobbit style. It would cover some interesting stuff that he's alluded to in previous films, and would be set in an interesting timeframe.

The only thing would be (like others here mentioned), I might find it strange if they used someone other than Alden Erenreich as a young Indy. Might come a bit jarring, after seeing him as Han Solo. But with the right casting, I'm sure I could get past it.

But I would definitely prefer a "young Indy" series to having a different character altogether.

 

There's not a bigger Ford or Indy fan around (just look at my avatar) but I would like to see the franchise continue. Chris Pratt could fill in nicely.

 

Multiple actors have played Indy already soits not a big deal.

If multiple actors can play James Bond,then multiple actors can play Indy.In fact ( And i say this as a huge Ford fan ) Harrison should have been replaced long ago as Indy by a new actor in the role for the movies.

 

Disney will do it eventually I am sure of it. I have faith they will make the right choice.

 

Hey, we still got one more Indy movie on the docket with Ford! Let's see what happens after that but right now we're still only Indy = Ford. Well, mostly, yes he has been played by other actors but still Ford, dangit

 

But those actors were specifically playing young versions of Indy, not the archetypical Indiana Jones character. I love Sean Patrick Flanery's Indy, but he's really only tangentially connected to Ford's Indy, because the aim of that show was less about being a prequel to the theatrical films and more about being a high quality edutainment series with the Indiana Jones name slapped on it to increase its commercial viability. IIRC Lucas specifically encouraged Flanery not to get too hung up on emulating Ford because that wasn't the point.

Without Ford playing the fully-developed adult version of the character, I wouldn't have much interest in the series going forward. Ford is Indy in a way that can't be compared to any of the various actors who played James Bond. Bond is a literary character with certain defined traits which the various actors gave their own interpretations of. But Indiana Jones is more or less Harrison Ford playing himself as an archaeologist. Any actor that comes afterwards will either be a pale Harrison Ford imitation or a completely new character which is extremely unlikely to measure up to the original legend.

 

Yes. Yes it would be a sin.


NOW,

Having some protégé or younger colleague take over where he left off could work okay-at least better than recasting. But it would never match up to Indiana Jones. Some things simply cannot be replaced.