Indiana Jones 5 Doesn't Completely Abandon Shia LaBeouf's Mutt

When a young Shia LaBeouf walked out on stage during the 2007 MTV Music Awards to announce the new title for the highly anticipated fourth Indiana Jones movie, he couldn't have imagined the backlash the movie would eventually receive. With all the confidence in the world, LaBeouf announced that the name of Harrison's Ford's long-awaited return would be called ... "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." I remember watching during that moment and there was an audible sigh and murmur from the star-studded crowd and the adoring teenage audience. Simply put, the big reveal landed with a thud.

"Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" sounded more in line with the pulp paperbacks chronicling the continuing adventures of Indy like "Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi." Honestly, there was probably a fair amount of eye-rolling too when the upcoming fifth and final installment of the series was revealed to be "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Huh?

Although "Crystal Skull" went on to make almost $800 million at the box office, the film was divisive among fans who weren't exactly on board with LaBeouf's introduction as Indy's long lost, leather clad son, Mutt Williams. A 1950s greaser with a hot temper, Mutt looked like he should be chasing Marty McFly in "Back to the Future" instead of battling Soviets alongside Indy and Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). On top of the fan backlash, LeBeouf later criticized the film and even director Steven Spielberg had issues with the main MacGuffin being inter-dimensional aliens courtesy of a sci-fi B-movie concept by creator George Lucas. 

To completely abandon Mutt's character would be to partially admit defeat, however. It's why his existence is acknowledged (however briefly) in "Dial of Destiny."

Up to this point, the fate of Mutt Williams has yet to be determined. Nevertheless, "Dial of Destiny" co-writer and director James Mangold ("Logan") confirmed to Entertainment Weekly at the film's U.S. premiere moviegoers will "find out what happened to him" at some point during the film's 154 minute runtime.

Since an aging Harrison Ford is apparently not enough to carry an entire film, the young blood Shia LaBeouf injected into "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is replaced by franchise newcomer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays Indy's goddaughter Helena in "Dial of Destiny." As Mangold explained it, her character is the "catalyst" for the sequel that spearheads the search for the titular time-altering relic:

"She's a daughter of a friend of Indy's, who we will also meet in the movie. Helena's gotten herself in a bit of trouble, and brings [that] to Indy's doorstep. She's a character who's a wonderful set of contradictions — charming and brilliant, but also a lot of trouble."

The character of Helena is a clear stand-in for Mutt in "Dial of Destiny," but she also serves as a substitute for the infectious back-and-forth repartee between Indy and Marion in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) in "Temple of Doom," and, to a certain extent, Elsa (Alison Doody) in "The Last Crusade." And while there won't be any romantic entanglements for Indy this time around, Mangold wanted to tap into Ford's legendary chemistry with women onscreen — a quality that has served him well through his entire career, from "Star Wars" to "Working Girl."

Also speaking to Variety on the red carpet, James Mangold addressed why Mutt was jettisoned in favor of someone like Helena, a fiery new character who could actually manage to shake the dust off of Indy and convince him to embark on one last adventure. He explained (via Insider):

"I think the point I had was that when I came on, I wanted to capture that wonderful energy between Indy and an intrepid female character. So that was my first goal, and there's only so many people you can edge into a picture."

That's a very democratic answer by Mangold, who is walking a fine line here. If Indy's son Mutt and the events of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" are completely ignored, it makes Indy looks a little like a deadbeat dad. It would also be a silent admission that everyone wants to completely forget about the vine-swinging, CGI fakery that littered the fourth installment of a universally beloved franchise.

Narratively, he's also right. There are only so many characters you can fit into one storyline. "Dial of Destiny" also stars Antonio Banderas, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, and Mads Mikkelsen as the treacherous villain Jürgen Voller. The film also sees the anticipated return of John Rhys-Davies as Sallah. If Mutt Williams were to return in some capacity, where would he fit? Most likely, Sallah or Helena will have a quick throwaway line explaining where Mutt is, and that will be that. There is an adventure to be had, after all. 

"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" hits theaters June 30, 2023. Be sure and read /Film's glowing review from the Cannes Film Festival.