Steven Spielberg Is Stepping Down As Director Of The Indiana Jones Franchise

(Variety) "After a long development process, Steven Spielberg is handing the directing reins on “Indiana Jones 5” to another filmmaker for the first time in the franchise’s 39 year history, Variety has learned.

Sources say that while a deal hasn’t closed, “Ford v Ferrari” director James Mangold is in talks to take the job. Mangold has been put in this situation before when he took over the “Wolverine” franchise; 2017’s “Logan” was a blockbuster, grossing $619 million globally, and earned Mangold an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay."

Call me crazy, but I think this is a good thing. Indiana Jones is one of the best adventure franchises maybe ever, and the titular character is one that holds a tremendous amount of nostalgia. The last memory that a lot of us have for him, however, is 'Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'. 

This scene, the addition of Shia LaBeouf's Mutt, aliens and more all made this an EXTREMELY hard watch. It seemed like the result of yes men telling Spielberg that every bad idea was actually good. And while Spielberg is and remains a legend, I do think that the last decade has been mostly poor for him outside of 'Lincoln'. So while Indy might be his baby, I think it's good for him to hand off the reins to an up-and-comer, especially one as awesome as James Mangold. If you're unfamiliar with Mangold, he directed 2019's dad-movie of the year (and best picture nom) 'Ford vs Ferrari' as well as one of the best comic book movies ever in 'Logan'. I think he is a great storyteller, he can obviously make a swan-song for beloved characters and he has a great feel and respect for using practical effects over CGI when possible. We talked to Jon Bernthal a little bit about that when we interviewed him. 

Anyway, I respect Spielberg for making this decision, which I imagine was really hard for him. Hopefully they are able to give Indy the final hurrah he deserves.