Ain’t It Cool News is reporting on information from a trusted source that Lucasfilm has tentatively penciled in a 4th quarter 2018 release for a fifth Indiana Jones film.  No specific release date or month is given, but with the Star Wars franchise moving out of December after 2016, you can bet that they will be targeting a December 2018 release if the current loose plan holds.  The return of Indy is inevitable at this point and was destined to become a “must” for Lucasfilm after they got Star Wars up and running again.  Well folks, the Millennium Falcon is flying once more, so it’s Dr. Jones’ turn to ride again.

Of course there’s no guarantee that Indiana Jones 5 actually WILL hit theaters in three and a half years time.  Kathleen Kennedy is one smart cookie and knows the risk of rushing things.  Rumors are constantly swirling about an Indy revival.  Some are partially legit.  Others nothing more than fanboy daydreams.  Will Harrison Ford reprise the role?  Will Spielberg return to the helm?  Or will both gentlemen step aside for a new generation, consult, and collect nice producing checks for their troubles?

According to our own sources, the latter is more likely than the former at this point.  Ford is in the midst of reviving Han Solo (for how long, we don’t know) and Spielberg’s plate is always full, so a final re-teaming for another “old Indy” adventure isn’t something as likely to happen now as it might have been five years ago.  Chances are, they will indeed step aside and if that is the route taken, our sources tell us that Lucasfilm will taken their time in choosing a new director, writers, and…most importantly…a new lead actor to pick up the whip and hat as the franchise moves into the future.

Will the latter be the oft-rumored Chris Pratt?  Anything is possible, but I honestly very much doubt it.  Between being signed for FIVE more Guardians of the Galaxy films and probably two Jurassic World follow-ups, in addition to the chances of other films he is making becoming franchises (The Magnificent Seven, Cowboy Ninja Viking), I’d say Mr. Pratt is booked solid when it comes to multi-film contracts for at least the next decade or so.  As always, we will keep you posted.

While we wait, what artifact and/or subgenre would you like to see Henry Jones Jr. tackle next time ’round, whether he’s young or old?  Personally (and obviously), I’ve always been interested in seeing the franchise skew a bit more horror than it already has, perhaps going for a slight 1930/1940s Universal Monsters vibe?  Granted Sommers already mined that territory a bit with his Indy-lite remake of The Mummy, but there are still plenty of other similar areas to explore.  Curses, vampirism, cannibalism, the undead, more witchcraft, etc.  What say you?