INDIANA JONES 5 Director James Mangold Says It “Hurts” That Not All Audiences Embraced Indiana Jones As He Was

Director James Mangold recently reflected Indiana Jones and the Quadrant of Destinyand the challenges of ending the franchise. He specifically expressed his concern about the public’s difficulty accepting aging Indiana Jones.

As you know, the film received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office, ending up an estimated $100 million loss for Disney.

In an interview with Deadline, Mangold shared his thoughts, saying, “You have a wonderful, brilliant actor who is in his eighties. So I’m making a film about this eighty-year-old boy, but his audience on another level doesn’t want to face their hero at that age.

Mangold revealed that the opportunity to tackle the Indiana Jones sequel presented itself when his Bob Dylan biopic A complete stranger was blocked due to COVID-19 and Star By Timothée Chalamet Dune engagements.

She said, “And then here come my childhood heroes into my life saying, ‘We have something to work towards,’” she shared, referring to the approach of Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy.

He went on to explain why the film’s reception was painful: “It was a joyous experience, but it hurt, in the sense that I really love Harrison and I wanted the audience to love him as he was and accept that this is part of what the film has to say that things end, this is part of life.

Mangold previously defended the film, saying: “When you’re in franchise territory, it’s very difficult for critical thinkers to overlook what I’m sure their editors want, which is this business prism of how does it stack up against the others?

“I always thought that if I came second or third in one of the greatest films of all time, I would be good. I mean, everything vaporizes afterwards. Either the film will survive or it won’t.”

Personally I liked it Indiana Jones and the Quadrant of Destiny. While it’s not the best in the franchise, I enjoyed and appreciated the big changes it took.