Untitled Indiana Jones television series

"Well, things can't always be the way you want them to be."

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An as yet untitled Indiana Jones television series has been reported to be development with Lucasfilm Ltd. for The Walt Disney Company's streaming service Disney+.^[1]

It's on course to be the first Indiana Jones TV show since 1992-1993's The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

Behind the scenes[]

News on a new Indiana Jones television series was reported by Joe Otterson from Variety on November 8, 2022. Otterson stated that the magazine's sources had become aware that The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm Ltd. had been looking at the possibility of making a show for Disney's streaming service Disney+ in hopes of expanding the franchise beyond 2023's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, having already met with some writers as of the exclusive's publication. However, the magazine was unable to reveal if the show is meant to be a spin-off of the film series or be a direct tie-in to Dial of Destiny akin to how Disney has several Marvel Studios shows to complement the Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[1]

On December 19, 2022, Dial of Destiny director James Mangold indicated that the show would include neither Indiana Jones nor Helena Shaw while dispelling troll-based rumors over Dial of Destiny having alternate endings with Shaw replacing Jones as the main character.^[2] On January 23, 2023, during an interview with Deadline Hollywood about his 2022 film The Fabelmans receiving multiple nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, former Indiana Jones director and franchise creative Steven Spielberg was asked about his involvement in the franchise's future due to having left the Dial of Destiny directorial duties to Mangold, to which Spielberg responded that he was "peripherally involved" in the upcoming film without specifying any involvement in the upcoming show.^[3]

On March 23, 2023, industry insider Jeff Sneider from The Ankler posted a rumor on his Twitter account that the Indiana Jones television show,^[4] which he had previously claimed was a prequel centered around Raiders of the Lost Ark's unseen Abner Ravenwood and with TheWrap similarly reporting to feature a younger Ravenwood and a group of young archaeologists he would teach for which some of Dial of Destiny creatives would likely come back for,^[5][6] was no longer moving forward as Lucasfilm had been directed to keep its focus on Star Wars projects, citing this as the same reason for which the Willow television sequel helmed by Jonathan Kasdan had been cancelled.^[4] However, a week prior, Kasdan had already dismissed reports that his own show had been brought to an end, stating that Willow was on hiatus in reaction to an industry-wide change of attitude towards streaming content.^[7]

In an April 24 article as part of a preview for Total Film's coverage of Dial of Destiny, Harrison Ford stated that he would not be involved in any prospective Indiana Jones television series, considering the movie his retirement of the character.^[8] Almost exactly a month later, on May 23, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in the Entertainment Weekly podcast "Dagobah Dispatch" that the franchise will not continue in film after Dial of Destiny due to the company's refusal to recast Ford, but commented that if the franchise may continue, it can be through a television show but one that doesn't require replacing Ford as the character.^[9]

Notes and references[]