Whatever Happened To Indiana Jones' Daughter?
Long before Shia LaBeouf joined Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" as his son Mutt, Indiana Jones had another kid, a daughter named Sophie.
In the early 1990s, George Lucas created "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," a TV show focusing on the world-famous archaeologist's earliest adventures. The series featured an older Jones (George Hall) recounting the tales of his childhood and early adulthood. The show further developed the character made famous by Ford by showing his experiences before "Raiders of the Lost Ark." It also established he had a daughter Sophie (Susan Bigelow), as well as two grandchildren, Spike and Judy. When the show released on home video, Lucas decided to cut all of the scenes featuring the older Jones, which meant Sophie, Spike, and Judy also fell victim to the editing process. The idea of Dr. Jones having a daughter did not go to waste, though, as Lucas spent the next few years developing the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie with the idea of reintroducing the titular character's child.
Fast forward 20 years, Lucasfilm has already treated audiences to the fourth installment, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which featured a son but no mention of a daughter. Disney is now gearing up for "Indiana Jones 5," so that got us thinking, what did happen to Indiana Jones' daughter?
Indiana Jones' daughter seems to be removed from canon
As mentioned previously, George Lucas held on to the idea of reintroducing Indiana Jones' daughter in the series' fourth film. Detailed by author J.W. Rinzler in "The Complete Making of Indiana Jones," Lucas wanted the daughter to be an adventurous 13-year-old. Director Steven Spielberg objected to the idea, saying it would draw comparisons to his other movie, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park." Legendary screenwriter David Koepp instead moved forward with the idea of giving the archaeologist a son, Mutt, a role that eventually went to Shia LaBeouf.
However, before the announcement of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," rumors swirled of a potential reappearance from Indy's daughter. At a screening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," actor Karen Allen told fans that she heard a rumor suggesting Lucas had cast Natalie Portman in the role, but Lucas himself later debunked this. With Disney preparing to release "Indiana Jones 5" next year, the possibility for the titular character's daughter to appear still remains on the table. Currently, there's no indication whether or not director James Mangold will introduce her or even if the movie features the return of Allen and LeBeouf.
Empire recently graced fans with a few first-look images from the fifth installment that features the return of Harrison Ford as Indy. The cast of "Indiana Jones 5" also includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, John Rhys-Davies, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Shaunette Renee Wilson, and Olivier Richters. With many of the cast listed in undisclosed roles, fans eagerly wait to see if "Indiana Jones 5" will feature the return of any of Indy's family members.
"Indiana Jones 5" hits theaters on June 30, 2023.