Update: April 9, 2021
Fleabag Star Phoebe Waller-Bridge Lands Female Lead in James Mangold's INDIANA JONES 5
The next installment of
Indiana Jones has found its female lead. Emmy-winning
Fleabag sensation Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been cast to star opposite Harrison Ford in the long-awaited fifth film in the franchise,
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Indiana Jones 5 (as it's temporarily known) has the 78-year-old Ford reprising his role as the globetrotting archeologist. James Mangold (
Ford v Ferrari) is taking over directing duties from Steven Spielberg, who helmed the first four films in the franchise.
In addition, legendary Oscar-winning composer John Williams has signed on to score the film. Williams has scored every previous
Indiana Jones titles going back to 1981's
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
“I'm thrilled to be starting a new adventure, collaborating with a dream team of all-time great filmmakers," Mangold said in a statement. "Steven, Harrison, Kathy, Frank, and John are all artistic heroes of mine. When you add Phoebe, a dazzling actor, brilliant creative voice and the chemistry she will undoubtedly bring to our set, I can't help but feel as lucky as Indiana Jones himself.”
Waller-Bridge previously teamed with Lucasfilm by voicing the breakout droid character L3-37 in 2018's
Solo: A Star Wars Story. The British writer-producer-actress created the acclaimed Amazon Studios dramedy
Fleabag and was the showrunner of the first season of BBC America's
Killing Eve. She also contributed to the script of the upcoming James Bond film
No Time to Die.
The fifth
Indiana Jones film has a long and torturous development process going back to 2008 when, coming off the release of
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, reports first surfaced that writer George Lucas and director Spielberg were aiming for a fifth entry. In 2016, Disney announced the film would be released in 2019 with Spielberg returning as director — but without Lucas being actively involved. David Koepp was originally attached as the film's writer; then Jonathan Kasdan reportedly took over; then Dan Fogelman; and then Koepp reportedly became involved once again (and noted in a 2019
interview with Den of Geek, "I think we've got a good idea this time"). In February 2020, it was reported that Spielberg was stepping down from directing the project, but would remain a hands-on producer, with Mangold taking over behind the camera.
In addition to Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel will serve as producers on the film.
Indiana Jones 5 will hit theaters July 29, 2022.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...oebe-waller-bridge-to-star-with-harrison-ford