An “Indiana Jones” television series is in the works at Disney+, TheWrap has confirmed with sources close to the project.
This new series won’t follow the whip-wielding adventurer, like “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” but will instead be a prequel focused on young Abner Ravenwood, Marion Ravenwood’s father who remains a much talked-about but never seen figure in Indiana Jones lore.
In this new show, Abner would be mentoring a group of young archeologists, just as he would one day mentor Indiana Jones. We are told that some of the creative heavyweights behind the upcoming fifth installment in the film franchise will most likely return for the television series.
“The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” once again created by George Lucas and born out of the prologue for “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” ran on ABC from March 1992 to July 1993 and was a pioneer in many respects, including the use of feature-quality visual effects (provided by Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic). After the series wrapped up its initial run, it was revived as a series of movies that aired on The Family Channel from 1994 to 1996.
The fifth episode of the second season, a feature-length installment called “Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues,” featured Harrison Ford. Other episodes were worked on by big time filmmakers like Frank Darabont, Nicolas Roeg, Terry Jones, Joe Johnston and Carrie Fisher. The series gained something of a cult following but the series has yet to be broadcast on Disney+.
The series inspired a soundtrack album, videogame and a potential stunt show at Disneyland. Disney seems to be looking to expand the Indiana Jones franchise after the fifth movie (due out on June 30, 2023) wraps up Ford’s involvement in the franchise, something that he recently confirmed at the D23 Expo in Anaheim. This series should be the opening salvo in this new initiative.
Variety first reported the news.
