The fifth and final installment of the Harrison Ford lead Indiana Jones (Aka Raiders) franchise is almost here. It has been 15 years since the last installment, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and many are curious as to what Indy’s final adventure will be.
However, leading up to the film’s release the review embargo was lifted early and the reception from critics has been rather mixed. Currently, the film sits at 50% with “top critics” but 61% with “all critics”.
Since this is indeed Ford’s final outing with the Indiana Jones franchise, many are wondering what the future will be. It has been speculated that Lucasfilm will take the “James Bond approach” by having a different actor play the role but still share continuity. Not all Indiana Jones adventures take place in chronological order, as the first film in the timeline is Temple of Doom.
But now it appears that Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy has given a hint into what could be in store. In a recent interview with Variety, Kennedy was asked if Phaobe Waller-Bridge’s character Helena Shaw, the Goddaughter of Dr. Jones, would possibly have her own film. Here was her response.
“It’s entirely possible. We’re not having any of those conversations right now. We’re just focused on finishing this with Harrison.“
While not 100% confirmation the idea of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character becoming the new “face” of the franchise has been rumored for some time. In 2021 The Daily Mail reported that, according to their sources, Helena Shaw could replace Indy as the face of the franchise. These reports were of course, denied, but it didn’t stop them from being covered by multiple news outlets.
However, even if true, it may be some time before Phoebe Waller-Bridge were to take up the fedora hat and whip, and she is currently set to wield a pair of pistols for Amazon’s upcoming Tomb Raider series.
And if Helena were to replace Indiana Jones it might not be received well from fans. The similar National Treasure franchise saw a Disney+ television series that did not feature Nicholas Cage’s Ben Gates and was canceled after a single season.
Again, nothing has been confirmed. We will have to wait and see how the new film does when it premiers next week.
What do you think? Will Helena Shaw get her own solo film and take over the franchise?
Sources: Variety, Bounding Into Comics
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