Harrison Ford will star in one last Indiana Jones film. Photo / Supplied
Despite hitting the milestone age of 80, it seems Harrison Ford isn’t ready to hang up his hat as the beloved archaeologist Indiana Jones.
But while Ford is returning to the franchise for it’s fifth instalment, it will be the first time he does so without director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas by his side.
Instead, the film will be directed by James Mangold and will see a series of new faces including Phoebe Waller-Bridge – who will play Jones’ goddaughter Helena - and Mads Mikkelsen who will play a villainous Voller – inspired partly by real-life Nazi-turned-Nasa-engineer Wernher von Braun.
The plot is said to blend fact, fiction, fedoras and fascists and Empire has reported it will include a major scene set at the Apollo 11 ticker tape parade in New York which was thrown to celebrate the astronauts on August 13, 1969.
The magazine added that the film will start with a prologue set in 1944 and conclude in 1969 - a period of time that saw a huge amount of social change in the United States and the western world - and will see Jones “living against the backdrop of the space race”.
Speaking to Empire, Ford said returning to his character for one last time was “nice”.
“I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey. A script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character...
“It’s full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it’s complex and it’s sneaky. The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous. But I’m very happy with the film that we have.”
The film began shooting in the UK in June last year but the set was temporarily shut down after Ford injured his right arm rehearsing a fight sequence.
In what might be the most intriguing part about the final film in the franchise is that the exclusively released photos reveal Ford will be de-aged with the help of visual effects so he looks almost exactly as he did in the original trilogy that was filmed in the 80s.
Speaking to Empire, Mangold said the de-aging technology is used in the film’s opening scene where Ford is pitted against a group of Nazis in a castle, “Then we fall out, and you find yourself in 1969.”
He added, “So that the audience doesn’t experience the change between the ‘40s and ‘60s as an intellectual conceit, but literally experiences the buccaneering spirit of those early days… and then the beginning of now.”
Meanwhile, producer Kathleen Kennedy said she hopes the audience watch it and think, “‘Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago.”
Ford told the magazine that seeing himself younger in the film was “a little spooky” but said “This is the first time I’ve seen it where I believe it… I don’t think I even want to know how it works, but it works. It doesn’t make me want to be young, though. I’m glad to have earned my age.”
The exclusive sneak peak at the film comes after reports that Waller-Bridge may take over the lead role from Ford.
The Daily Mail reported film-makers have shot a series of possible endings to the franchise, including one where Jones passes his fedora to her character, Helena.
It’s a future Ford seems to be in favour of.
Speaking at a Disney event to promote the film earlier this year, Ford pointed at his co-star Waller-Bridge and said: “I’m very proud to say that this film is fantastic and this is one of the reasons.
“Indiana Jones movies are about mystery and adventure but they’re also about heart. And I’m really, really happy that we have a really human story to tell, as well as a movie that will kick your a**.”