David Koepp Explains Why Steven Spielberg Ditched Indy 5

September 29, 2020

Indiana Jones 5: David Koepp Explains Why Steven Spielberg Ditched the Project

It’s been seven long months since it was announced that Logan’s James Mangold would replace Steven Spielberg as director of Indiana Jones 5. And since that time, not much has been revealed about the project. Thankfully, former Indy 5 screenwriter and frequent Spielberg collaborator David Koepp recently sat down with Den of Geek and shed some light on the famed director’s departure, which at least provides some semblance of closure for fans.

“I tried a couple different versions with Steven and they all had some good stuff about them and they all had some stuff that didn’t work, which happens. But it was just very hard to have everybody come together and have all the elements — Steven, Harrison (Ford), the script and Disney — come together at once. And it didn’t,” Koepp said.

Obviously, Koepp couldn’t reveal any details about the story, but he did reveal that the handoff to Mangold was amicable.

“When James Mangold came in and Steven stepped out, that was a pretty logical breaking point,”Koepp told Den of Geek. “It’s a gracious time to step out the door because I think the last thing a new director wants is the old director’s writer. I mean, that’s a drag. The last thing you need is some guy sitting around with his arms folded saying, ‘Well, the way Steven would have done it is…’ I had one nice friendly conversation with him and then I’m sure he wanted to be able to move on anyway. Everybody was pretty polite, I thought.”

Honestly, Spielberg never seemed all that enthusiastic about another Indiana Jones adventure. Hell, he wasn’t excited to do Kingdom of the Crystal Skull until George Lucas practically forced the project on him. At any rate, it’s probably best for someone else to dust off ole Indy and pump some fresh life into the franchise. Hopefully, Mangold can do just that!

Indiana Jones 5 is still set for a July 29, 2022 release, though that date could change faster than Elsa Schneider’s allegiances.

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