Spielberg Leaves Indiana Jones 5

Steven Spielberg on the set, directing the last Indiana Jones film. Credit: Paramount Studios

Variety is reporting that Spielberg has left the director's chair for long awaited Indiana Jones 5 movie, scheduled to begin production sometime this summer. According to Variety, who had the exclusive news, that "Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold is in talks to take the job. Mangold has been put in this situation before when he took over the Wolverine franchise; 2017’s Logan was a blockbuster, grossing $619 million globally, and earning Mangold an Oscar nomination for adapted screenplay."

The film has been "in the works" since Disney announced it back in 2016, and subsequently has seen many delays. It is unclear if this will cause another delay, with production only a few months away. Spielberg is still set to remain on the project as a producer, but this is the first time in 39 years he will not be sitting at the director's chair. One project that delayed Indiana Jones was Spielberg's involvement with his upcoming remake of West Side Story, set to be released later this year. Harrison Ford is still attached to the project, for now, as he has been talking about his involvement as he went on his press tour for his recent release, Call of the Wild. 

Spielberg is not the first crew member to step down from their role for this film. Screenwriter David Koepp left the project and Jonathan Kasdan, son of Lawrence Kasdan, came in to finish the script, causing another delay. Disney is also undergoing a major change with CEO Bob Iger stepping down effective immediately yesterday, and so upper Disney brass might be also influx. According to Variety's report, both Disney and Spielberg are declining to comment on the matter. 

The last film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Krystal Skull, did feature local Central Coast iconic town of Morro Bay, standing in for Cuba during it's iconic "map sequence." You can see Morro Rock and the tall smoke stacks that are a staple of Morro Bay.

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