Walt Disney Pictures announced on Tuesday that the fifth installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise has been pushed back to summer 2021 as part of a series of updates to the studio’s upcoming release slate. The new release date is July 9, 2021, four days before star Harrison Ford’s 79th birthday.
The studio also announced that a film based on the Disneyland ride “Jungle Cruise,” which stars Dwayne Johnson, will be released October 2019, while the sequel to the live-action Angelina Jolie film “Maleficent” will be released in May 2020.
Disney has also removed two release slots for live-action films in November 2019 and February 2021. The 2021 slot will now be filled by a Marvel Studios release, possibly the sequel to “Black Panther,” which was released in February.
On the 2018 slate, Disney adjusted its holiday schedule, moving “Mary Poppins Returns” off its Christmas Day release spot to a December 19 release. That puts the sequel to the 1964 children’s classic on screens two days ahead of a very crowded pre-Christmas weekend, which includes the release of WB’s “Aquaman,” Paramount’s “Bumblebee,” and Fox’s “Alita: Battle Angel.”
While “Indiana Jones 5” now has a new date locked in today, the film’s pushback was previously reported two weeks ago as Jonathan Kasdan, son of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” writer Lawrence Kasdan, was brought on by Lucasfilm to write a new draft of the script. Kasdan was also co-writer of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” with his father.
The previous draft of the “Indiana Jones” film was written by David Koepp, writer of first two “Jurassic Park” films and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Koepp is leaving the project to focus on his Blumhouse film, “You Should Have Left,” which he will write and direct.