Lucasfilm Reportedly Planning a Full ‘Indiana Jones’ Reboot After Box Office Flop

After Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny didn’t perform well at the box office, it looks like Lucasfilm might be ready to hit the reset button. According to a report from DisInsider, the studio is planning a full reboot of the Indiana Jones franchise, but not right away. They’re apparently letting it rest for a bit before making any official announcements.

The reboot might be revealed at the next D23 Expo in 2026. Even though the last movie struggled financially, Disney and Lucasfilm still believe in the power of the Indiana Jones name. It’s a legendary series, and they don’t want it to fade away.

Dial of Destiny, the fifth movie in the franchise, came out in 2023 and was meant to close the book on Harrison Ford’s version of the character. It was set in 1969, with Indy now living in New York City, working as a professor at Hunter College, and dealing with personal loss, his son Mutt died in the Vietnam War, and his marriage to Marion fell apart.

Things change when Helena Shaw, his goddaughter, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, shows up asking about Archimedes’ Dial, a strange relic he once found with her father.

This sets off a wild adventure across Morocco, Greece, and Italy. Along the way, a former Nazi scientist working for NASA, Jürgen Voller (played by Mads Mikkelsen), tries to use the Dial to travel through time and rewrite history by killing Hitler and taking his place. The film ends with Indy literally traveling back in time to 212 BC, before returning to the present to make peace with Marion.

Despite its action and emotional ending, Dial of Destiny failed to connect with a large audience. It cost nearly $300 million to make, and although it got some tax credits, it still ended up being a big loss. The film made around $384 million worldwide, but experts like Forbes and Collider estimated it needed at least $477 million to break even, and possibly up to $600 million.

James Mangold, who directed the film, later spoke to Deadline and admitted he was hurt by the reaction. “You have a wonderful, brilliant actor who’s in his eighties,” he said. “So I’m making a movie about this guy in his eighties, but his audience on one other level doesn’t want to confront their hero at that age… It hurt… I really love Harrison and I wanted audiences to love him as he was.”

Harrison Ford himself told The Wall Street Journal that he still stands by the film. “Shit happens,” he said bluntly. He believed there was more to explore with the character and wanted to return for one final story. “I’m happy I made the film,” he added.

Karen Allen, who returned as Marion, later said she wished she had a bigger part, but appreciated being included. John Rhys-Davies, who played Sallah, also said he enjoyed the film but felt it missed the chance to truly bring the story full circle. He thought his character and others from earlier films should have been used more.

Even before the film came out, there had been talk about the future of the franchise. Back in 2016, Disney CEO Bob Iger said they weren’t sure what would happen after the fifth film but it’s definitely not the last installment. In 2022, Kathleen Kennedy said Ford wouldn’t be recast as Indiana Jones.

Around that time, Disney was exploring different ideas, like maybe a new movie or a Disney+ series. But by 2023, Lucasfilm had reportedly put those plans on hold to focus on Star Wars.

Now it seems things are changing again. The DisInsider report says the full reboot is in the works, even if nothing official has been announced yet. Indiana Jones may return with a new actor, new timeline, and fresh story.

And while Dial of Destiny might have been the end for Ford’s Indiana, it may not be the end of the franchise after all.

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