K.T Simpson
I have many pleasures in life. Rugging up in front of the tele with a green tea on a cold day, watching a good horror flick with the lights switched off, a big bowl of pasta followed by a long, hot bath. And writing about Shia LaBeouf. This guy gives me so much material, I should send him a gift basket for helping me forge a career in the entertainment biz.
LaBeouf played Mutt Williams aka Henry Jones III, aka Indiana Jones’ son in 2008’s “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, and the question on everyone’s lips following that film was “will we get more Shia?!”. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but no, no we won’t.
EW spoke to screenwriter David Koepp, who gave this nugget of information about the upcoming film:
“Harrison plays Indiana Jones, that I can certainly say. And the Shia LaBeouf character is not in the film.”
*cue sad groans*
“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” teased LaBeouf’s potential return to the series, but it seems director Steven Spielberg is happy to keep Ford at the front-and-centre of the film, with no need to let LaBeouf take over the Indiana Jones legacy at this stage. Good decision, Spielberg.
As for production, could we see the start of “Indiana Jones 5” yet?
“We’re plugging away at it. In terms of when we would start, I think that’s up to Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Ford,” Koepp continues, playfully teasing that the plot will involve “some precious artifact that they’re all looking for” throughout the film. “I know we’ve got a script we’re mostly happy with. Work will be endless, of course, and ongoing, and Steven just finished shooting “The Post” …. If the stars align, hopefully it’ll be his next film.”
LaBeouf’s appearing in “Crystal Skull” didn’t come without controversy (nothing does when he’s involved), and he stated following the production that he “dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished,” and that Ford wasn’t happy with the film either. Ford’s responded to the comments by calling his co-star a “f*cking idiot”. Speaking on behalf of the people, Ford.
