Chris Pratt has played a number of action roles, but it looks like he won't be adding Indiana Jones to the list anytime soon. The actor recently addressed the long-standing rumors that he was being considered to take over the iconic role from Harrison Ford, Variety reports. During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Pratt said Ford's past comments scared him off the idea.
"No, aren't they doing 'Indiana Jones' with Harrison Ford? All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford and I don't even know if it was really him, but it was enough to scare me, that was like, 'When I die, Indiana Jones dies.' And I'm like, am I going to get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play…?"
The quote Pratt was likely referring to came from Ford's 2019 appearance on the Today show. The actor didn't mince words when asked who should play the character when he's done with the role. "Nobody else is going to be Indiana Jones," Ford told interviewer Craig Melvin at the time. "Don't you get it? I'm Indiana Jones. When I'm gone, he's gone."
Ford has played the globe-trotting archeologist in five movies, starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark (released in 1981) and now in the upcoming Indiana Jones 5. The fifth installment is directed by James Mangold (Logan), who also co-wrote the script with Ford v Ferrari writers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. It will also be the first film in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg, who will instead serve as an executive producer. Composer John Williams, who created the scores for the previous Indiana Jones films, also returns for the fifth movie.
Indiana Jones 5 is a follow-up to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was released back in 2008. Although filming wrapped earlier this year, details about the plot have been kept under wraps. However, a "first look" from the film was shared during Star Wars Celebration back in May. The image shows Ford as the character crossing a rickety bridge in what appears to be a cave. In addition to Ford, the cast includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Mads Mikkelsen (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Toby Jones, and Antonio Banderas. Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 30, 2023. An official title has not yet been announced.
Meanwhile, Pratt is keeping busy. The actor just wrapped up the Jurassic World trilogy with Jurassic World Dominion, which was released in theaters last month. He also reprised his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord for an appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, which debuted July 8, and starred in the Prime Video Original series The Terminal List. Pratt has also lined up some voice-over roles, including Mario for the as-yet-untitled animated Super Mario movie.