Steven Spielberg promises he won't kill off Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones 5

This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

 After years of rumors and mutterings, it seemed as if Indiana Jones 5 would never become a reality. Then March rolled around, and official word came down the pipe that a fifth chapter in Dr. Henry Jones' story was in development. It's happening, folks. Steven Spielberg returns to the director's chair and leading man Harrison Ford is poised to don that iconic fedora once again. 

As for the future of the franchise after Indy 5, that remains unknown. It's not a surprise at this stage, as we still don't have an official title or plot line for the fifth film. One thing is for certain; Spielberg promises he won't do what J.J. Abrams did to Ford's character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  

"I think this one is straight down the pike for the fans," Spielberg told THR in a new interview, refusing to drop any plot details except this one, lone scrap. "The one thing I will tell you is I'm not killing off Harrison [Ford] at the end of it." That's a fair tip of the hat to Abrams, who had Kylo Ren off his dad during a climactic moment in the finale.  

Despite lacklustre reactions to the fourth instalment, 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, fans have responded well to confirmation of a fifth outing. Even Ford himself has admitted his enthusiasm to crack the bullwhip again, saying that it's "great fun" to play the character, and he's "really looking forward to it." Armed with the knowledge that Indy won't perish in the foreseeable future, we wonder what Ford might have to say on the matter now. 

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, the fifth Indiana Jones film is currently set to arrive in theaters on July 19, 2019. 

Image: Lucasfilm 

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.