Harrison Ford is currently putting the finishes touches on Indiana Jones 5 before it arrives in theaters next year. But for the briefest of moments, his comeback wasn’t always a sure thing. It all started in early 2015, when Deadline reported that Disney (freshly in control of Lucasfilm assets following its purchase of the studio in 2012) was eyeing Chris Pratt to succeed Ford in a reboot of the series. At the time, Pratt had only begun to assert himself as a viable action star thanks to Marvel’s first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which bowed the previous summer. But giving him the lead role in one of the most beloved action franchises of all time seemed like a tall order. And it turns out that Pratt feels the same way.
Pratt finally addressed those rumors during a recent episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. When asked if he had ever met with Steven Spielberg, Pratt joked that he’s never even heard of the original Indiana Jones director, who also executive produced all three of Pratt’s Jurassic World films. But on a more serious note, Pratt has very good reason for not wanting to take over as Indy. Simply put, he doesn’t want to incur Ford’s wrath.
“All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford,” said Pratt. “And I don’t even know if it was really him but it was enough to scare me, that was like, ‘When I die, Indiana Jones dies.’ And I’m like, am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play… ?”
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I’m no body language expert but watch this video and tell me Chris Pratt did not talk to Steven Spielberg about taking over Indiana Jones in some capacity. pic.twitter.com/bqOdebFHla
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) July 14, 2022
Deadline, for the record, stands by its original reporting. But even if Lucasfilm was considering Pratt for the role, it wasn’t long before they abandoned this idea. Ford’s return was confirmed in early 2016. And although Spielberg was originally expected to direct, he later stepped down and allowed James Mangold to take the reins. Meanwhile, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently told Vanity Fair, “we would never make Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford,” effectively shutting down any lingering rumors about a possible reboot.
Indiana Jones 5 will hit theaters on June 30, 2023.
Could you have seen Pratt headlining an Indiana Jones movie? Let us know in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films
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