Young Han Solo might be at risk of being played by one of the stars of Teen Wolf, but if Steven Spielberg is to be believed, Harrison Ford’s other iconic role, Indiana Jones, will never be subjected to a similar fate.
“I don’t think anyone could replace Harrison as Indy,” Spielberg told Screen Daily. This observation rings painfully true for anyone who watched Shia LaBeouf attempt to play Ford’s son and possible successor in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Spielberg said that unlike other heroes—think Spider-Man or Batman—“there is only going to be one actor playing Indiana Jones and that’s Harrison Ford.”
But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of the Indiana Jones franchise. In the same interview, Spielberg said he intends to make a fifth movie. With Ford currently clocking in at 73 years old, it would likely be tough for him to carry an adventure film on his own. But hopefully Shia LaBeouf will be too busy watching his own movies to star in the next one.
It may just be that Ford’s gruff, goofy charm is unreplicable. Just as J.J. Abrams is bringing his own lens flare-ified touch to the Star Wars franchise, whoever picks up the hat and whip next should be allowed some creative leeway: the character doesn’t have to be like Ford at all. We could even allow our imaginations to wander past Chris Pratt and into less obvious territory. Charlize Theron has proven that she can handle herself pretty well in treacherous desert landscapes, after all.
