Ford Is Out, the Hat’s Still In — 'Indiana Jones' Reboot to Be Unveiled at D23

Indiana Jones may have hung up his whip — or rather, Harrison Ford has — but the franchise is far from buried in the depths of cinematic history. According to a report from The DisInsider, Lucasfilm is quietly laying the groundwork for a full reboot of the Indiana Jones saga. While the official announcement isn't expected until the next D23 Expo, preparations are said to be underway, with the studio giving the franchise some 'breathing room' before reintroducing it to a new generation.

It’s no secret that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny struggled to make an impression at the box office. With a bloated $329 million price tag and a global gross of just $384 million, the film ended up losing Disney an estimated $134 million — a result that likely had studio execs clutching their fedoras. The film’s lukewarm reception followed the already divisive Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which may have dulled audience appetite long before Dial of Destiny arrived. As director James Mangold recently told Deadline, some of that hesitancy may have come down to viewers being reluctant to watch an 81-year-old Ford reprise such a physically demanding role.

Still, for all the financial missteps, Indiana Jones remains Lucasfilm’s most iconic IP outside of the Star Wars universe. And while rumours about Phoebe Waller-Bridge continuing the story fizzled out, and whispers of Chris Pratt donning the hat never took hold, the franchise itself was never going to stay shelved forever. Nostalgia, after all, is big business.

So what’s next for the man with the bullwhip and the attitude? That remains to be seen. But with a likely reboot announcement on the horizon and the D23 Expo just around the corner, one thing is certain: the hat still fits, and someone, eventually, is going to wear it. Question is — who gets to crack the whip next?