With Harrison Ford officially occupied with Star Wars for the foreseeable future, it would seem that Disney has gotten impatient with the status of Indiana Jones and thrown around the “R” word—reboot.
But it’s this Robert Pattinson casting rumor that has our attention.
According to an unnamed “insider,” Pattinson is the forerunner for the fedora-d lead, currently:
“Disney is looking at its long-term options for the Indiana Jones franchise. They feel that the series has huge potential on many levels, starting with the films leading to other spin-offs like games which can generate more money than movies. Rob is top of the initial list because he has showed his acting stripes away from Twilight. But the competition will be stiff.”
Okay, we agree that Pattinson has untapped potential that the Twilight films did not offer him. And he’s a good actor when given half-decent material. (He also made you cry as Cedric Diggory.) It also makes sense that the studio is thinking younger, probably hoping that the next actor will stick with the part for many years and many blockbusters to come.
But… well, there are so many options. And we can’t imagine that most actors wouldn’t jump at the chance to play the part. So here are a few of our picks:
Tom Hardy
Get that Bane mask off the poor guy and hand him a role that showcases his lighter side! Hardy is always forced to play the straight man (or growling villain) in most film he appears in. This would be a welcome change. And Marion could be Naomie Harris! Get her out from behind M’s desk and back into field work—she would lay down the law for him in no time flat, and we want to watch her drink people under tables.
Donald Glover
Because OF COURSE. He would be so much fun in the part, and it would give him a chance to really flex his muscles after the sweetness that was Community’s Troy. Plus, then you could get Idris Elba to play his dad! (We’re going on the assumption that Elba will be the next Bond, and that Jones Sr. must always be a former Bond. It works out perfectly.)
Liam Hemsworth
You have got to give this guy something he can use to taunt elder brother Chris with. “Oh, you’re the god of thunder? Well I’m one of the most beloved antiheroes of the 20th century!” He looks better scruffy and has mastered sardonic facial expressions. Easy pick. And instead of Indy’s best buddy Wu Han dying at the beginning of a Temple of Doom rework, this time the character is played by Rinko Kikuchi, and she survives, and they go on an epic temple raid!
Anthony Mackie
We sort of (and by “sort of” we mean “head over heels”) fell in love with Mackie as Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Mackie is warm, bright, funny and clearly well-disposed toward the action genre. You know he’d look great in the hat. Let’s do this. And to accompany him, we’ll have Natalie Dormer as Elsa—when she turns out to be a traitor there will be so many evil little smirks.
Gina Carano
We’d also accept Lucy Lawless or Jamie Alexander or Charlize Theron or Michelle Rodriguez, but—have you guys seen Haywire? Do you know what this woman can do? She’d rock that leather jacket, and her petulant smirk would stop Nazis in their tracks. And her Sallah could be Indira Varma! They would be so. amazing.
Who are your picks?
YES Totally down with Carano!
Tom Hardy got to play a sweet guy in RocknRolla.
They really seriously need to NOT remake Raiders of the Lost Ark. Because I’ll start punching people if they lay mitts on that movie.
BUT–I would be very much down with pre-Raiders Indy adventures. And I’d even be down with a telling of Indy and Marion’s first meeting.
Also, I would totally endorse Liam Hemsworth. :D
Stephen Amell from Arrow!
He may be too old (which I’d find ridiculous), but Josh Holloway could swagger like Indy.
Also, this is a rumor that originated with a British Tabloid, right? So I’m playing along for fun. I expect there will soon be an Indy reboot, but I don’t for a second believe Pattinson is the one they’d give it to – though I think he’s a better actor than he gets credit for.
Duh, Shia LeBouf!
/sarcasm
Nobody. Don’t reboot it.
Young Indiana Jones? Yes.Reboot? Hell-to-the-NO!!!!!!!
No Reboot, for the Love of God!
An adventoure like Indiana? Sure have fun with.
but STOP Rebooting everything.
Please, God, stop the reboot madness. Nothing needs a reboot, seriously.
Donald Glover would be perfect, especially if we’re talking young “pre-gruff” Indiana Jones.
There’s no need to reboot Indiana Jones, just recast him like James Bond. They’re period adventures, after all, so there’s no need to update them. And there are plenty of unexplored gaps in Indy’s life.
And of course Indy has already been played by multiple actors at different stages of his life — Corey Carrier, River Phoenix, Sean Patrick Flanery, Harrison Ford, and George Hall (from youngest to oldest and not counting infants). No reason not to add another actor to the roster.
How about none of the above!!!!!!!!!!!
Please, no!!!
I’m SO tired of all these reboots, retcons, prequels, sequels, and on and on! Just make something NEW!
To Christoper Bennett’s point, we still need one more Harrison Ford Indy adventure — we need to know how Junior lost his eye!
It would be cool to get a transition flick — Ford and the new guy trading flashforbackwards.
Speaking of casting calls, I’m taking auditions for people in an angry mob, any takers?
Woof™.
You can put me down for the “No reboot, and kill Robert Pattinson with fire” list as well. [j/k]
Vampires should not sparkle. Unless you hit ’em with white phosphorus.
@16: Robert Pattinson has made it pretty clear he hated the Twilight films. He doesn’t deserve that kind of vitriol.
Well, according to this, Pattinson isn’t going to be in the remake after all:
http://www.eonline.com/news/548103/robert-pattinson-not-starring-in-indiana-jones-reboot-5-other-actors-who-d-be-perfect-for-the-part
So I guess I’ll just have to find something else to do with all this firewood. ;)
I don’t think Rob would go for another franchise, especially an already established one. He doesn’t need it. So I think they’ll need to look elsewhere.
Nothing against Pattinson’s acting skills, but he’s a bit weedy to play Indy. Maybe put on some muscle with some boxing skills… nah, he’s still not right for it.
None of the above. Keep looking.
I’m perfectly fine with this. I am not fine with a REBOOT or a REMAKE. So, here’s what could be a neat concept: Robert Pattison’s character could be a contemporary of Ford’s Indy. He could be a rival, colleague, predecessor, or even someone who has been passed the torch. These I can jive with. I cannot jive with a RE-IMAGINING. I will not.
I’m thinking the next movie has Future Indy going back in time to inhabit his younger body, thus changing the timeline in such fashion as to eliminate any events that took place after Last Crusade.
@21: Again, though, why would it be necessary to pass the torch to a different character? Five different actors have already played the same incarnation of Indiana Jones at different ages, so just add a sixth to the roster. Do a movie set in one of the many unchronicled gaps in Indy’s life — either cast an actor in his late 20s or early 30s to fill in the period between Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Temple of Doom, his early adulthood (maybe showing his first meetings with Marcus Brody and Sallah and his early clashes with Belloq), or cast someone in his early 40s to fill in his career during WWII and afterward.
#24
I could go for WW2 Indy. Nazis abound.
And he hates those guys.
Because they are SPEILBERG films, they still play very, very well… why reboot?? Ugh. Can’t they make enough money on Star Wars and leave Indiana Jones alone? How about a Willow follow-up instead?
Or better yet, give me my darn live-action star wars tv show already!
We want harrison Ford to be Dr.jones
I agree with all the others: please no more “reboots” or “gritty re-imaginings”. As much as I have enjoyed some of the movies in that vein, there are plenty I haven’t. And it’s not that I see the originals as anything sacred– I am more just completely put-off and offended by the idea that Hollywood just sees us as cash cows who don’t need any real entertainment — because clearly we’re willing to throw money at crap that’s already been made. No need to pay screenwriters or anyone with a lick of creativity. It’s insulting all around.
Johnny Depp, anyone? :P
Oh, and let Tim Burton direct movies.
Nathan Fillion
I really don’t get why people are thinking of this in terms of a reboot or reimagining. Adventure heroes get recast all the time. James Bond is the classic example. Batman was played by three actors in one film series. There were two different Janes in the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan series, and several actors played both Tarzan and Jane after Weissmuller left. Four actors played Frankenstein’s Monster in Universal’s series, and three played Charlie Chan in that film series.
Heck, Indiana Jones is supposed to be a tribute to the adventure movies and serials of the ’40s. So recasting the hero from time to time would simply make the tribute more authentic.
I would totally watch a reboot of this. But yes…who they got to play Indie would be such a deal breaker or maker. I’m anxious to see if this ends up happening.
#31
People are thinking of this in terms of reboot or reimagining because that’s the dominate thinking in Hollywood. There have been a lot of reboots in the past 15 years and not many of them good. It’s a knee-jerk reaction, sure, but it’s an understandable one.
@33: But even recently, we’ve had recastings within a single continuity, like Bruce Banner and Jim Rhodes and Fandral in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the three different people who played Jack Ryan even before they rebooted the series with Chris Pine. And it’s just so self-evident, given that Indiana Jones is a period piece whose lead character has already been played by several different people, that the character could be easily recast without needing the rigmarole of a reboot. A kneejerk reaction may be understandable to start with, but I don’t get why so many people’s thought processes are stopping there, rather than looking beyond that first impression.
Clive Owen. Sam Worthington. Sean Patrick Harris. Ok, not Sean.
And I’d crawl over broken glass to see Lucy Lawless play another strong woman.
@35: Did you mean Sean Patrick Flanery (who played Young Indiana Jones) or Neil Patrick Harris (who played Dr. Horrible)?
Clive Owen is probably too old.
Matthew Lewis(Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter)
Joe Flanigan. Would fit the role perfectly
If it must be done, then let it be Timothy Olyphant.
Sean Patrick Flannery.
Yes, Sean Patrick Flanery would get all my votes!
The thing is, Sean Patrick Flanery is now a year older than Harrison Ford was when he made Last Crusade. Which… well, it could work in that sense if you wanted to cover Indy’s WWII career or his postwar career. But an actor who’s closing in on 50 might not be an ideal choice for an action-movie lead.
Plus I never bought Flanery as a younger Harrison Ford. There’s just no resemblance between them, especially in their voices.
Watched Casper Van Dien in 2006’s “The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb.” It was hella fun and he did a great Indy-type archaeologist role–no whip or leather jacket, but hat and satchel were there. He has my vote.
If you want an Onlder Indy, Dennis Quaid would work well. assuming he’s not coked up somewhere at the moment.
River Phoenix would have been a good choice, if he was still with us.
Dude….Justin Beiber!!!! I WIN!!!
Indiana Jones is set in a specific time and place, so no modern update please. Also I don’t see the point of a sequel without Harrison Ford. No remakes or retellings. But I wouldn’t mind seeing some untold adventures from before Raiders and in between the other movies. Indy in college, maybe. I would like to see a young actor as young Indiana who looks somewhat like Indiana, who can do action, drama, and comedy (don’t deny that there’s comedy, you purists), and has a bit of swagger. Andrew Garfield comes to mind. Maybe JGL, or Joshua Jackson, or Dylan O’Brien, or Robert Sheehan. Or someone I haven’t heard of. This could be the sort of role that a talented unknown could do better than a pre-made star.
Like most commenters here I am totally bored with reboots. But even putting my general negativity towards them aside, it just makes no sense whatsoever in this case. Apart from Doctor Who, I literally can’t think of any franchise where reboot would be *more* superfluous. This essence of this series *has been*, for decades now, “discovering” untold adventures in between the existing ones.
With that in mind, Tom Hardy is the only new actor that I can buy in the part. (Although Mackie is, too, an inspired choice , if we really need new continuity.)
@48: And I still don’t understand why everyone is expecting some kind of “reboot” rather than exactly what you say, new adventures in between the known ones. The latter is the obvious course to take, and absolutely nobody has said they’re going to do anything different.
I think the problem may be that fandom’s interpretation of the word “reboot” is narrower than the industry’s definition. Remember, in computer terms, “reboot” simply means to start a system up again after it’s crashed or shut down. In the industry, therefore, a reboot is any relaunch or revitalization of a dormant franchise, anything that gives it a fresh start and makes it profitable again. That includes direct continuations as well as reimaginings — because as far as the suits are concerned, it’s not about continuity, it’s about making money any way they can. But the term “reboot” was first popularized in fandom by the Ron Moore Battlestar Galactica reboot, which was a reimagining of the continuity. So fandom has gotten the mistaken idea that the term applies exclusively to changed/restarted continuities, and that can lead to confusion when industry insiders use the term. Or at least, that’s what I believe to be the case.
I vote for David Tenant (Dr Who). We already know he looks good running in a coat.