After multiple delays over the course of development, Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones 5 finally started production this spring. However, the filming schedule may have to adjust to an injury lead actor Harrison Ford suffered on the set of Indy's next adventure.
Ford sustained an injury involving his shoulder while rehearsing a fight scene for Indiana Jones 5. Consequently, director James Mangold will continue to film Indiana Jones 5 around Ford while the right course of treatment is determined.
Per Deadline and an official statement from Disney, the filming schedule for Indiana Jones 5 will be adjusted as required over the coming weeks. At this time, the extent of Ford's shoulder-related injury was not divulged. Production on Indiana Jones 5 had only started earlier in June 2021, with set photos revealing England's Bamburgh Castle will be used as a key location. Plot points for film remain purely speculative at this point, but additional set photos showed Ford wearing facial tracking markers while filming a sequence with co-star Toby Jones, suggesting the scene in question will use de-aging technology for a flashback to Indy's younger years.
Joining Ford on Indiana Jones 5 is an ensemble cast that includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, and Jones. Of course, at this time, details on the characters portrayed by Ford's co-stars are currently being kept a closely guarded secret by Disney and Lucasfilm. While Steven Spielberg has handed directorial duties to Mangold after having helmed all four previous installments in the Indiana Jones franchise, the famed filmmaker will still serve as producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel. Furthermore, John Williams, who wrote the music for the four Spielberg-directed entries in the franchise, will return to compose the score for the untitled fifth Indiana Jones film.
The 78-year old Ford is no stranger to suffering injuries while working on a feature film that sees him return to one of his iconic roles. While filming 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which marked the first time Ford played Han Solo since 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, the actor's leg was broken when a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon fell on him.
Still, fans are almost certainly wishing Ford a speedy recovery, especially since many are excited to see him portray Dr. Jones for what is assumed to be the final time. After all, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull concluded the franchise on what most people felt was a dismal note, so there's hope that Indy's fifth outing will provide a more worthy end to Ford's time as the iconic adventurer.
Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 29, 2022.
Source: Deadline