Indiana Jones 5: Why Isn't Shia LaBeouf In Dial Of Destiny?
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is widely regarded as the franchise's worst outing, so fans might not be clamoring to see Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf return as their onscreen father-and-son pairing ever again. That being said, LaBeouf's absence from "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" has nothing to do with the negative response to the previous movie.
According to the film's director, James Mangold, LaBeouf was left out of the latest sequel for storytelling purposes. The plot of "Indiana Jones 5" revolves around Indy and his granddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and the filmmakers didn't want to overcomplicate things. "I think the point I had was that when I came on, I wanted to capture that wonderful energy between Indy and an intrepid female character," he told Variety. "So that was my first goal, and there's only so many people you can edge into a picture."
Of course, LaBeouf might not be interested in returning to the "Indiana Jones" franchise. The actor has been critical of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" in the past, and his comments drew criticisms from one of his old co-stars.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull left a bad taste in Shia LaBeouf's mouth
Since its release in 2008, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has been the brunt of lots of criticism from fans and critics alike. Shia LaBeouf appears to be one of the film's naysayers as well, as evidenced by comments he made about it in 2010.
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, LaBeouf said that he's to blame for the film's misfortunes, suggesting that he isn't a fan of the flick. "You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg]," he said. "But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple."
Per Today, Harrison Ford took umbrage with LaBeouf's statements afterward, noting that it's an actor's duty to get behind their projects. "As an actor, I think it's my obligation to support the film without making a complete a** of myself. Shia is ambitious, attentive, and talented — and he's learning how to deal with a situation which is very unique and difficult."
The good news, though, is that "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" explains the fate of LaBeouf's character, Mutt Williams. Indy's son might not be present for the big swansong, but he's there in spirit — and for the sake of continuity, that's better than nothing.