Kathleen Kennedy: Harrison Ford Wanted One More Indiana Jones

Kathleen Kennedy says Harrison Ford returned for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny because he did not want Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to be the final entry. She confirmed that Ford and George Lucas were never "100% onboard" with the alien reveal in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was George Lucas' idea.

"[Kingdom of the Crystal Skull], out of the four that Steven made, is the weakest. And that’s why Harrison was so deeply committed to [Dial of] Destiny. He didn’t want that to be the end." Work on a fifth Indiana Jones movie was announced in 2016, with a July 19, 2019 release date originally set.

George Lucas stepped away from the franchise and Steven Spielberg, who was expected to return, left in February 2020 after delays and reported disagreements over the script and the project's direction. James Mangold was hired to direct in May 2020, and Ford remained attached to the project.

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