Here we go. After releasing our first real look at Indiana Jones 5, Lucasfilm is clearly on the path to dropping a trailer. Probably this week. And we know because not only do we have a couple more images, but some genuine plot details. Shocker! Indy’s battling Nazis again! Only this time…it’s during the Space Race.
According to a new story in Empire, the still-untitled film takes place in 1969, and centers on the employ of ex-Nazis, such as Wernher Von Braun, to give NASA the edge in the Space Race to the moon…
“The simple fact is that the moon-landing program was run by a bunch of ex-Nazis,” screenwriter Jez Butterworth said. “How ‘ex’ they are is the question. And it gets up Indy’s nose…”
Of course, Indy has been battling Nazis since the very beginning in Raiders of the Lost Ark. And if you look at Dutch actor Mads Mikkelsen as his villainous character, Voller, he actually looks a lot like the Nazi leader Toht from that movie. But he’s actually based on Von Braun, and based on what Butterworth says, he’s trying to make amends for past crimes…
“There is something that could make the world a much better place to live in. He would love to get his hands on it. Indiana Jones wants to get his hands on it as well. And so, we have a story.”
We also get a look at Boyd Holbrook as Klaber, who he describes as “a lapdog to Mads, and a crazy one at that.”
But we can’t forget that Indy is much older at this stage of his adventuring career, and the world isn’t nearly as black & white as it used to be. That will play a key role in this story, Indy’s big finale, as well…
“It’s not just that the model of what a hero is has completely changed,” Butterworth said. “It’s not just that they’re looking for something where there’s nothing up there— it’s like Reno without the gambling, or whatever his line is. But the people that are behind it are, you know, his sworn enemies.”
I’m still waiting to get our first look at Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character, Helena, who is Indy’s goddaughter. John Rhys-Davies also returns as Sallah, Indy’s pal who hasn’t been seen since The Last Crusade.
Indiana Jones 5 opens June 30th 2023.