'Indiana Jones 5' Script Back In The Hands Of David Koepp Again

It's been a long road of development for Indiana Jones 5 so far. The project was first officially announced early in 2017, and at the time it was slated for release in the summer of 2019. Obviously that didn't happen, and now the movie is slated for release in July 9, 2021. But before that's even possible, there needs to be a script, and it doesn't seem like anyone can settle on what the story should be.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull writer David Koepp was the first scribe brought on board to take a crack at Indiana Jones 5. Since then, the sequel has changed hands just as much as the Ark of the Covenant, but now Koepp himself has confirmed that he's working on the script again. What is going on here?!Den of Geek recently caught up with David Koepp, who confirmed his involvement with the Indiana Jones 5 script again:

"I'm working on it again. We're still trying. And I think we've got a good idea this time. We'll see."

That makes it sound like no one really knows what to make of this fifth (and presumably final) adventure for Indiana Jones, who will again be played by the aging Harrison Ford. That's not surprising since the character is getting up there in the years, much like the franchise's star, and it's kind of difficult to pick up the pieces after the disappointment that was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Behind the scenes, writers like Jonathan Kasdan (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Dan Fogelman (This Is Us, Tangled) have worked on the script, but it sounds like their contributions didn't result in anything significant. Producer Frank Marshall previously said that they were assembling a group of writers that they trust to pitch ideas, so maybe there hasn't been a pitch that director Steven Spielberg has been captivated by just yet.

There were rumors that one iteration of the story focused on a train full of Nazi gold went missing near the Polish city of Walbrzych. Our own sources told us that wasn't the case, so we're not sure what kind of story options are being explored for Indiana Jones 5. But Koepp previously said that Shia LaBeouf's character Mutt Williams won't be involved. There's always a chance that could change since Koepp may be working on an entirely new script, but since fans didn't take to the estranged son of Indiana Jones very well, I doubt he'll be a prominent fixture of the sequel. Though that doesn't mean Karen Allen won't show up again as Marion Ravenwood.

After Indiana Jones 5, what's next for the franchise? Surely Disney doesn't want to let a valuable franchise like that lay dormant. Could we see some kind of new Indiana Jones series head to Disney+? Could the sequel introduce a new character to wear the hat and whip? The future is unclear, but we'll keep you updated.