The DIAL OF DESTINY director says Indiana Jones’ aging in the opening sequence provides significant context

The fifth film in the Indiana Jones film franchise is just around the corner, and this film comes over forty years after the first film kicked off our first Indy adventure. The first three films were made in the 80s and the fourth was released 15 years ago. So naturally, one aspect of the story will highlight the protagonist’s age, and how he arrives at this quest will no doubt be different.

As the film opens, we’ve seen the star age in previously released footage and in a recent interview with THR, director James Mangold explained why this sequence is not only a fun throwback, but provides more meaningful context to the character for the rest of the film:

“It reminds audiences of the contrast between a hero in his prime and a hero in his 70s. We are not relying solely on the memory of the audience of previous films. Remind everyone what he did, what he survived, what he accomplished. By showing him in his warmest way and then finding him at 70 in New York City, it produces for the audience a kind of wonderful flick of how they are going to have to readjust and rearrange their brains for this guy. His past is a vivid memory for the audience, hanging over a man who now lives in anonymity in a world that no longer cares or acknowledges the things he felt so deeply about. You are left with a multi-layered character perception of him, both what he was and what he is, and how the world is different within the first 20 minutes of the film.

Ford shared his thoughts on the aging process with THR, stating:

“I never loved the idea until I saw how it was done here, which is very different from how it was done in other films I’ve seen. They have every frame of film, printed or unprinted, of me during the 40 years of working with Lucasfilm on various things. I can play the scene and they AI check every fucking meter of film to find me in the same angle and light. It’s bizarre and it works and it’s my face.

Ford recently revealed that obvious age jokes have been excised from the Quadrant of Destiny script, preferring to show rather than tell. But when it came time to get physicists, Mangold says Ford was able to rise to the challenge.

“Harrison was ready for anything. If anything, he was the one who was struggling to get things done, and I was like, ‘No, not this.’ His attitude was tenacious and enthusiastic about all aspects of the role, including the physical one ”.

I’m so excited to see Ford as Indiana Jones again! Looks like this movie is going to be a blast. Indiana Jones and Dial of Fate will be released in theaters on June 30, 2023.