Latino Review ran an “exclusive” yesterday, claiming that Bradley Cooper is at the top of Disney’s list of actors to replace Harrison Ford in the next Indiana Jones movie. Now The Huffington Post is updating the story, saying:
According to a source close to the production, Cooper is not under consideration to star and there are no plans to reboot the franchise with another actor. HuffPost Entertainment has also contacted representatives for Cooper and “Indiana Jones” producer Frank Marshall for official comment on the casting rumor. This post will be updated again if they respond.
I wrote about Disney’s legal maneuverings to make more Indiana Jones films a few months back and discussed my feelings on having Ford, currently 72-years-old, continue to play Indy. I’m 100% for it. There are few characters in film history that have been (and will continue to be) so completely associated with a single actor. Indiana Jones is one of them, mostly because (unlike James Bond) the people behind the scenes haven’t been cranking out sequels at an accelerated pace, replacing their actors to serve the greater needs of the franchise.
And though this is a bit of a non-news story, it does serve as a grim reminder that Disney, a company that spent hundreds of millions of dollars acquiring the rights to Lucasfilm, will one day face the very real decision of how best to carry on this IP without Ford. I think they face an uphill battle, especially after Ford’s death, which will likely force them to wait a respectful amount of time before making the next film. And then what does that look like? Are we in for a remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark, or do they cast much, much younger, creating a timetable that allows for a new film every two to three years? Realistically, that seems like the way things will go down.
But replacing Ford while he’s still alive? Sure, it could happen. I don’t doubt that the rumor gained traction because someone at Disney had the discussion at some point. And like I said, I think they’re considering the potential of an expensive, dormant franchise and how best to get it started again. If they’re not thinking about Ford’s age/mortality, then they’re not doing their job.
At any rate, Bradley Cooper is, in all likelihood, not playing the character. At least not anytime soon…