The Indiana Jones 5 Set Has Roman Soldiers On It, For Some Reason

The "Indiana Jones" franchise has claimed that somehow, the mythology from multiple religions (featured in "Raiders of the Lost Ark, "Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade") is real, and so are aliens from other dimensions ("Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"). So what's the next far-out idea the series might have? How about time travel?! A rumor has been making the rounds that "Indiana Jones 5," which is currently filming under director James Mangold, has a story involving some form of time travel. And now, new set pics from Sicily seem to back that theory up. Then again, these images are completely out of context, so we really don't know what's going on here. But it's fun to speculate. I guess you could, in theory, consider this post full of spoilers (although honestly we still don't know any specific details), so be warned!  

Over at The Daily Mail, you can find a slew of images snapped on the set of "Indiana Jones 5," and they seem to be confirming a big, crazy rumor. The pics show Harrison Ford and co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge on location in Sicily. The scene being shot appears to show Ford's Indiana Jones wearing a parachute and being pulled out of a ditch by Waller-Bridge's character. But here's where it starts to get weird: the images also feature what appear to be Roman gladiators or Roman soldiers of some kind. The men are seen both in an ancient-looking rowboat and also on the shore, clutching swords. 

So what the heck is going on here? Before these pics even surfaced, a rumor started spreading around Twitter that "Indiana Jones 5" would include time travel. Now, Twitter is not the best source of accurate information. But these images certainly lend some credence to that theory. We've already seen in previous set pics that some scenes in the film would take place during World War II, even though "Indiana Jones 5" appears to be set, at least initially, in the 1960s. 

Of course, there could be a less sensational explanation for this. Perhaps the scenes with the Roman soldiers are flashbacks that don't involve Indy at all. Scenes meant to establish whatever ancient artifact Indy is hunting this time, perhaps? That's certainly a possibility. Then again ... 

I know that the knee-jerk reaction to the "Indy 5 has time travel!" theory will be negative. People will cry that it's too far-fetched, too different for the series. While time travel would certainly be new for the franchise, does it really matter how far-fetched things are in the world of Indiana Jones at this point? By now, the four films have firmly established that all sorts of weird, supernatural, impossible things happen within Indy's world. Why not time travel, too?

While I remain somewhat hesitant about the film because Steven Spielberg is no longer in the director's chair, I can it appreciate if director/co-writer James Mangold and writers Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth are trying something new here. Let Indy be weird! It could yield fun, fresh results. Or it could backfire spectacularly! I guess we'll see. "Indiana Jones 5" time travels into theaters on July 29, 2022.