Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny - Everything You Need To Know

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When it comes to cinematic heroes, they don't get much more iconic than Indiana Jones. The whip-cracking, fedora-wearing archaeologist has tracked down the Ark of the Covenant, gone up against a diabolical cult, discovered the Holy Grail, come face to face with aliens, and battled both the Nazis and the Soviets. He's survived everything from cobras to boulders to nuclear bombs, and now, after 15 years, Indy is coming back to the big screen.

His fifth — and from all accounts — final outing is titled "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." Indy might be older, but as he once put it so well, it's not the years, it's the mileage. And it seems the professor/adventurer has got a few more miles left in him. But what exactly is the plot of "Dial of Destiny," who's joining Indy on his adventures, and who will be sitting behind the director's chair instead of Steven Spielberg? Well, get ready for one final adventure as we discuss everything we know so far about "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny."

Indiana Jones has faced quite a few bad guys over the years. In "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," he was up against a group of Soviets in South America, and he narrowly avoided having a heart to heart with a Thuggee cult leader in "Temple of Doom." However, there's one particular bunch of baddies who cross Indy's path again and again — Nazis, and boy, does Indy hate these guys.

Unfortunately for Indiana, he's not done with the Third Reich just yet, as he'll be butting heads with some very sinister Aryans in "Dial of Destiny." According to an Empire exclusive, the film will be set in 1969, during the height of the Space Race. In both the film and real life, the U.S. government employed quite a few Nazi scientists to beat the Russians to the moon. In "Dial of Destiny," one of those Nazi scientists is the nefarious Voller, whose loyalty to Hitler's regime is still strong. As Voller actor Mads Mikkelsen puts it, "He's a man who would like to correct some of the mistakes of the past."

Mikkelsen also implied that Voller is searching for something to "make the world a much better place to live in" (for Nazis, anyway). We're assuming that something is the titular Dial of Destiny, which Indy will need to find first with the help of his goddaughter, Helena. In addition to that relationship, the film will focus on Indy truly growing old and getting ready to take off the fedora for good. As writer-director James Mangold told Empire when discussing the script, "It became really important to me to figure out how to make this a movie about a hero at sunset." We'll also get some clarification on a what's going on with Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams. While the actor won't appear in the film, Mangold told Entertainment Weekly that we'll "find out what happened" to the bike-riding, sword-fighting character.

When you think of "Indiana Jones," you first think of Harrison Ford. And next, you probably think of Steven Spielberg, the GOAT of action-adventure filmmaking. The celebrated director helmed the first four Indy films, and it's almost impossible to think of the franchise moving on without him. However, "Dial of Destiny" won't see Spielberg calling the shots. While he will remain as a producer, he won't be sitting in the director's chair, as he reportedly stepped away so a younger filmmaker take the reins.

However, don't worry — "Indiana Jones 5" is in the very capable hands of James Mangold, who might be the best choice after Spielberg to direct the film. After all, "Dial of Destiny" is supposedly about an aging Indy going on one last adventure before riding off into the sunset, and Mangold has already crafted a film dealing with similar themes. He co-wrote and directed "Logan," the swan song to 20th Century Fox's version of the Wolverine and one of the most critically acclaimed superhero films ever made.

In addition to "Logan," Mangold has helmed some seriously amazing films such as 2007's "3:10 to Yuma," the vastly underrated "Cop Land," the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," and the impressive sports drama "Ford v Ferrari." With those kinds of credentials, Mangold seems like the perfect person to send Indy off on one last adventure.

The teaser for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" dropped in December 2022 and promised all sorts of adventures for our aging hero. When the teaser starts, it seems Indy has been living the quiet life of a college professor. "I miss waking up every morning wondering what wonderful adventure the new day will bring us," his friend Sallah says. "Those days have come and gone," Indy replies.

But as it turns out, adventure isn't done with Dr. Jones just yet. As the teaser progresses, we see Indy picking up his whip, getting in a showdown atop a train, and exploring ruins filled with Greek statues. There's a de-aged Indy in a Nazi castle and an exciting chase at a ticker-tape parade for the Apollo 11 astronauts. All the while, Indy gives us his unique worldview, saying, "I don't believe in magic, but a few times in my life, I've seen things — things I can't explain. And I've come to believe it's not so much what you believe, it's how hard you believe."

We were treated to the official trailer in April 2023, which is scored to the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," showing that Indy is a man outside of time in the strange, new 1960s. Speaking of time, it's possible that might be a big part of the film, as Mads Mikkelsen's Voller explains why he wants to get his hands on the Dial of Destiny: "Hitler made mistakes, and with this, I will correct them all."

Will time travel be involved? Is that why so many people want the Dial? Not only are the Nazis after it, not only is Indy trying to get it, but it also looks like his goddaughter, Helena, has an agenda of her own, as she's also trying to get her hands on the artifact. This prompts a three-way chase across the world, complete with undersea exploration and aerial action, all in the pursuit for something "that could change the course of history."

De-aging technology is a great tool, but it's always been a bit ... wonky. Sure, "The Irishman" is a fantastic movie, and Robert De Niro's performance is mind-blowing, but those scenes where he's a younger man? Sure, great stuff — but it just looks weird.

However, it appears "Dial of Destiny" is taking de-aging technology to the next level. While most of the movie will be set during the end of the '60s, the opening act will take place during World War II. This segment will reportedly run for a whopping 25 minutes, which means director James Mangold must have a ton of faith in the de-aging tech if we're going to be looking at an aged-down Harrison Ford for nearly half an hour.

"It was incredible technology," the director told Total Film, going on to add, "The goal was to give the audience a full-bodied taste of what they missed so much." From the clips we've seen of the opening action sequence, Ford looks pretty fantastic — better even than highlight examples of de-aging such as Sean Young in "Blade Runner 2049" or Kurt Russell in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."

And evidently, that jump from the 1940s to the 1960s is going to be key to the story. We're hopping from an era when it was clear who the bad guys were to an era where everything is way more complicated. That never-ending march of time will be heavily felt here, with Mangold telling The Hollywood Reporter, "It's not just a movie about a hero in his twilight years who is called back into action. It's more than just that his bones might ache, it's that his soul might ache, or that some of his optimism or sense fitting into the world might have evaporated."

Plus, Indy will be dealing with a body that's much older and creakier than before. Slugging bad guys in the face isn't going to be as easy as it once was, with Mangold saying the de-aging sequence "reminds the audience of the contrast between a hero in his physical prime and a hero at 70. We're not relying solely on the audience's memory of the previous films. It reminds everyone what he's done, what he's survived, what he's accomplished. By showing him in his most hearty and then finding him at 70 in New York City, it produces for the audience a kind of wonderful whiplash of how they're going to have to readjust and retool their brains for this guy."

As early as 2018, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" committed to an international landscape in filming Indy's final adventure. Though "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was largely shot in the United States, James Mangold's installment switched things up. According to Deadline, principal photography began in the United Kingdom back in 2021, filming at Pinewood Studios, Bamburgh Castle, and other locations around London. The Yorkshire Post likewise reported that the production had set up near Grosmont in the North Yorkshire area. Eventually, filming moved over to Scotland, where a motorcycle chase was shot in a small village in the Scottish Highlands. Later, the production transformed downtown Glasgow into 1960s New York City, as seen in the film's trailer.

Other filming locations included Sicily – namely a few caves and national parks, such as the Ear of Dionysius — and eventually Fez, Morocco, where filming concluded in early 2022. With so many different global locations, it seems like "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" will follow suit from previous outings with Indiana Jones traversing the globe in search of mythical treasure. Though we don't know exactly what the Dial of Destiny is, it seems to have an interesting history that will no doubt reveal itself via Indy's latest location scouts. What a way for Harrison Ford to retire his most famous character, by likewise traveling the world.

Following the sale of Lucasfilm, George Lucas distanced himself from both "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones." After Disney failed to use his treatments for the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, Lucas' involvement in his famous space opera has been essentially non-existent. Aside from visiting the set of "The Mandalorian," Lucas has effectively bid his former glories goodbye. But while Lucas wrote and directed "Star Wars" during his time as a filmmaker, he never actually wrote an "Indiana Jones" movie. Instead, he helped craft the story for each film, served as a producer, and worked closely with Spielberg to make sure their shared vision became a reality. While Lucas' involvement in the fifth "Indiana Jones" film has been diminished following his sale to Disney, he's still in the loop.

According to James Mangold, both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are involved with "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." While they may not be in the director's chair or receiving any story credit, these two filmmaking giants just had to be included in another "Indiana Jones" picture — especially the final one. Serving as executive producers, Spielberg and Lucas have continued to help curate Hollywood's most famous archeologist from afar, which is a comforting thought, given all the changes Disney has made to a Lucas-less "Star Wars" over the years. If they trust Mangold to deliver a killer "Indiana Jones" picture, then none of us should be worried about whatever destiny befalls our fedora-sporting hero.

With Indy's favorite Egyptian excavator Sallah returning for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," many have wondered if other fan favorites might return for this final installment as well. Among the most requested is Ke Huy Quan's Short Round, a character he played in 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Before this past year, Quan was possibly best known for his work as Short Round and Data in "The Goonies," which was released the following year. In 2022, Quan rose to international stardom after the success of the multiversal drama "Everything Everywhere All at Once," where he played Waymond Wang, which earned him an Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor." After all these years, Quan is doing well for himself.

Though Quan and Harrison Ford shared a tearful "Temple of Doom" reunion at Disney's D23 convention in 2022, the actor has insisted that he is not returning as Short Round for "Dial of Destiny." "I want to say [I'll be in it], but no," Quan told ET when discussing his potential return. "Here's the thing. I don't want to disappoint the fans. I've joked about it all the time, but reuniting with Harrison after 38 years, that was very special." With this being Harrison Ford's final adventure as Indiana Jones, and Quan unlikely to reprise his role as Short Round in a spin-off venture, it seems as if fans are going to have to settle for the off-screen reunion between these two stars.

For nearly 30 years, the "Indiana Jones" series was distributed by motion picture giant Paramount Pictures after Spielberg and Lucas made a deal for five "Indiana Jones" pictures with the distributor. The famed mountain logo has appeared at the beginning of each "Indy" flick, from 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" through 2008's "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and has become somewhat synonymous with Harrison Ford's globetrotting adventures. Of course, nothing in Hollywood is eternal, and after Lucasfilm sold to the Walt Disney Company in 2012, Paramount's involvement in any future "Indiana Jones" installments was subject to change — and change it did.

Though Paramount retained their initial distribution rights for the first four films in the series (hence why all four "Indiana Jones" films are currently available on Paramount+ and not Disney+), the House of Mouse owns distribution rights to any future films made. While "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is a co-production between Lucasfilm and Disney — the first "Indiana Jones" film not solely produced by Lucasfilm, Ltd. – Paramount Pictures has received an "associate credit" on the latest "Indy" picture, with an undisclosed "financial participation" as well. How this all works behind the scenes is something of a mystery, but it's clear that the cooperation between Disney and Paramount has only helped "Indiana Jones" going forward. Still, replacing the snow-capped mountain with the Disneyland castle will be hard to adjust to.

Described by director James Mangold as "a hero at sunset," Indy's fifth and final big-screen adventure is his swan song, and while that's sad on some level, there's plenty of mystery and excitement attached to that statement. Possibly best known for directing the final two installments of Fox's "Wolverine" trilogy, Mangold is no stranger to telling an action hero's final tale. The 2017 film "Logan" closed the book on Hugh Jackman's long-running X-Man — at least, until Marvel Studios opened it up again — and told the definitive Wolverine story for a generation. Here, fans are anxious to see if "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" will follow the same tone, and effectively be Indy's "Logan" story.

"What does the hero do when the world no longer has a place for him?" Mangold asked Entertainment Weekly rhetorically. "I find it really interesting to try to look at classical heroes through the prism of our jaundiced contemporary attitudes." The director went on to compare "Dial of Destiny" and "Logan," but reassured fans that his latest film's tone would remain faithfully "Indy." "I am under no illusions that my job making an 'Indiana Jones' film was to suddenly beat the humor out of it and turn it into some kind of dirge," he continued, emphasizing that "this is an 'Indiana Jones' film" and not another installment to the "X-Men" universe. Thankfully, Mangold seems to understand Indy's grizzled humor enough to keep it intact.