Thomas Kretschmann has joined the cast of James Mangold’s highly anticipated next film Indiana Jones 5. The German actor, best known for roles in The Pianist and Avengers: Age of Ultron, is set to appear in an undisclosed role, per The Wrap.
Kretschmann will join Mads Mikkelsen, who was also recently announced in a similarly unnamed role. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the creator of Fleabag, will be the co-lead with Harrison Ford, who is returning as the titular archeologist.
Plenty of other familiar faces are returning behind the scenes, including John Williams, the legendary film composer who scored the previous four Indiana Jones installments. Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are also returning.
Indiana Jones 5 will be the first in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg, though he will join Kennedy and Marshall as a producer. Spielberg opted to pass the torch to a different director last year, with rumors that Mangold was being considered as early as February. When Collider spoke to Marshall last year, he told us why Mangold was the perfect choice to take over.
"His love of the franchise. He’s a wonderful filmmaker. I think he also has a relationship with Harrison. It was all of the right pieces coming together, at the right time.” He went on to add that with Spielberg still involved, “we've got the best of everything.”
Writer David Koepp, who worked with Spielberg on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull dropped out of the project when Spielberg departed, with Jonathan Kasdan (Solo: A Star Wars Story) stepping in to handle screenplay duties. This creates a kind of family tradition, as Kasdan’s father, Lawrence Kasdan, wrote the script for the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Originally slated for release in 2019, the project has been pushed back a few times, with delays accumulating due to the COVID pandemic. The film is now set to release on July 29, 2022, with plans to begin principal photography this spring.
Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to hit theaters July 29, 2019.