Indiana Jones: is Harrison Ford leaving the franchise after Dial of Destiny - will he be replaced?

Harrison Ford will be hanging up his brown fedora and bullwhip as he waves goodbye to the Indiana Jones franchise this year, after more than four decades as the titular hero.

Ahead of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, Ford had already become a major name in cinema following his role as Han Solo in the Star Wars original trilogy (ever heard of it?), as well as for appearances in American Graffiti, both Lucasfilm projects, before he was cast as Indy. 

The actor is now one of the biggest names in Hollywood, with a net worth of around $300 million (£240m), and credits in more than 60 major films. Now, at 80 years of age, Ford is retiring from the action adventure franchise that he has become synonymous with, as he confirmed that the upcoming Indiana Jones film will mark his last appearance as the character. 

Is Harrison Ford leaving Indiana Jones?

Harrison Ford confirmed that his time playing archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones will come to an end with the release of Dial of Destiny, the fifth film in the franchise.

Ford first picked up the now iconic bullwhip for Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 and returned for two more instalments in the same decade - Temple of Doom was released in 1984, and The Last Crusade came out in 1989.

After a 19 year hiatus, Ford was back for The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, also starring Shia Labeouf, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, and John Hurt. Despite the all-star cast, the film was critically panned, and the franchise was put to bed once again.

Indy fans were ecstatic when news of another film finally came, this time under Disney’s control since it bought Lucasfilm in 2012. Ford, aged 80, will reprise his role as Jones, who leaves his quiet life as a professor to save the world one more time.

In Dial of Destiny, Jones works with a former Nazi now in the employ of NASA as he searches for a mysterious dial that could alter human history.

Speaking of the new movie, Ford said: "This is the final film in the series. And this is the last time I’ll play the character. I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film."

Will there be another Indiana Jones film?

It had looked like producers were teeing Shia LaBeouf to fill Ford’s shoes in later instalments when he was cast as Indy’s son Mutt in the fourth film. But since slating the film in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2010, he has not been involved in any further talks about the franchise.

An Indiana Jones series is reportedly in the works with Disney+, although no plot details have yet been released. It is unknown if the series will be a sequel, spin-off, or sequel - all we know so far is that it will be set in the same world as the Indiana Jones films.

Ford added that he will not be involved in the Disney+ series. If the show does come to fruition, it will not be released until 2024 at the earliest.

One Indy TV series has already been - The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the titular hero, aired for two seasons on ABC from 1992-1993. The series is available to buy on Apple TV+ now.

Who will replace Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones?

As little is known about the upcoming series, including if it is even officially happening, there’s no word yet on the cast. Additionally, as the series may be a spin-off, it might not feature Jones at all.

Watch this space for updates on who will be cast in the Disney+ Indiana Jones series.