It was revealed back in March 2016 that award-winning director Steven Spielberg had selected David Koepp as the screenwriter for the fifth Indiana Jones film. Koepp revealed in a recent article with Entertainment Weekly that the character of Mutt Williams, who was played by actor Shia LaBeouf in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released in 2008, will not be making an appearance in this new Indy film. Opinions on the character of Mutt varied widely across the fan community during the film’s theatrical run, with some portions of fandom/critics heaping some pretty heavy doses of vitriol on the performance given by LaBeouf.
“Harrison plays Indiana Jones, that I can certainly say,” screenwriter David Koepp, who has penned a script for the fifth film in the storied Indiana Jones franchise, tells EW. “And the Shia LaBeouf character is not in the film.”
Koepp goes on to say that both he and Spielberg are happy with the development of the overall plot of the film and that the official start of filming is still up in the air at the moment.
“We’re plugging away at it. In terms of when we would start, I think that’s up to Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Ford,” he continues, playfully teasing that the plot will involve “some precious artifact that they’re all looking for” throughout the film. “I know we’ve got a script we’re mostly happy with. Work will be endless, of course, and ongoing, and Steven just finished shooting The Post …. If the stars align, hopefully it’ll be his next film.”
The currently-untitled fifth Indiana Jones film, which features Harrison Ford back as the titular lead, will be arriving in theaters on July 20, 2020, one year later than its original July 2019 release time frame.
