Prepare to See a De-Aged Harrison Ford in 'Indiana Jones 5'
Indiana Jones 5 will feature an opening sequence with a digitally de-aged Harrison Ford, say the filmmakers behind the upcoming project.
In a new interview with Empire, a trio of key filmmakers from Indiana Jones 5 reveal that the movie will be set in 1969 for the majority of the story.
However, the opening sequence will be a set-piece set in 1944. Specifically, Indiana Jones will be battling through a castle filled with Nazis. This means that Ford will be de-aged for this opening segment, confirmed director James Mangold.
"I wanted the chance to dive into this kind of full-on George-and-Steven [directors Lucas and Spielberg] old picture and give the audience an adrenaline blast," Mangold said.
"And then we fall out, and you find yourself in 1969. So that the audience doesn’t experience the change between the ‘40s and ‘60s as an intellectual conceit, but literally experiences the buccaneering spirit of those early days… and then the beginning of now."
Producer Kathleen Kennedy, who heads up Star Wars content for Disney, also spoke to Empire about the revelation.
"My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, 'Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago,'" Kennedy said.
"We’re dropping you into an adventure, something Indy is looking for, and instantly you have that feeling, 'I’m in an Indiana Jones movie.'"
De-aging technology has been used before in major movies. Robert Downey Jr. was de-aged for a segment in Captain America: Civil War, while Will Smith (Gemini Man), Michael Douglas (Ant-Man), and Samuel L. Jackson (Captain Marvel) have all also been de-aged, among others.
Martin Scorsese's The Irishman featured a trio of de-aged Hollywood legends in Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. But while some believed the technology, others weren't convinced by the physicality of the older actors playing younger incarnations of themselves.
Ford himself spoke to Empire about the believability of the de-aging technology they are using in Indiana Jones 5.
"This is the first time I’ve seen it where I believe it," Ford said.
"It’s a little spooky. I don’t think I even want to know how it works, but it works. Doesn’t make me want to be young, though. I’m glad to have earned my age."
Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled for release on June 30, 2023.
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