Posted in: Disney+, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: disney plus, indiana jones, preview, raiders of the lost ark
Indiana Jones Series Reportedly Being Eyed by Lucasfilm, Disney+
Well, there's nothing like a quarterly earnings call to have some pretty big streaming series news breaking to the fans. But that's what appears to have happened on Tuesday, with Variety reporting exclusively from sources that The Walt Disney Company is looking to develop the "Indiana Jones" franchise into a Disney+ series. The report comes as Harrison Ford prepares for his final run as the character (a role Ford has said repeatedly he is finished with once the final film hits the big screen). Based on the report that was released this afternoon, Disney and Lucasfilm have been "bringing up the possibility of a streaming show set in the world of the globe-trotting archaeologist in general meetings with writers of late," according to sources familiar with the situation.
Since a writer isn't in place yet, there are still a ton of questions about the project that needs to be answered. Will the project be a prequel or sequel to the current canon? Or will it be a reboot with a larger, shared universe (which is a nice way of saying "spinoffs") set-up, like Marvel Studios' MCU? If it stays with the current canon, will it touch upon the fifth film? And while Lucasfilm and TWDC did not comment on the report from Variety, it was also noted that "The Mouse" is looking to broaden the "Indiana Jones" franchise in ways that could include additional series & films, other media (video games, audio dramas, etc.).
Of course, "Indiana Jones" fans know this would be the first time that the adventurer would find a home on the small screen, with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" running for two seasons on ABC (from 1992-1993). The beloved series would go on to spawn four made-for-TV specials that aired on The Family Channel (now Freeform) between 1994 and 1996. Though Ford made a cameo at one point, the series focused on Jones as a young man (Sean Patrick Flanery) and young boy (Corey Carrier), with George Hall portraying an elderly Jones to open and wrap each episode.