Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold opens up about scrapped plans for the franchise spinoff series that was being developed for Disney+. First announced in November 2022, the series would have been the second television show set in the world of the Indiana Jones franchise following The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles that were released in the early 1990s. However, by March of this year, it was suggested that Lucasfilm had abandoned the project, with most reports indicating the studio was shifting its attention back onto the Star Wars franchise.
During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Mangold was quizzed about the cancelled Indiana Jones TV show and whether he was involved in its development. Revealing that he had looked at what was being planned for the series, the director admitted that it was only “purely speculative” in nature. Mangold also confirmed previous reports that the series would not have featured the character of Indiana Jones himself. Check out his comments below:
“I looked at what they were developing for that show, but I think it was it was purely speculative in terms of whether that show was going to happen. But it had nothing to do with Indiana Jones. It was the world.”
What Could The Scrapped Indiana Jones Show Have Been About?
When news first broke about plans for the Indiana Jones Disney+ series, speculation was rife about what direction it would take. While it was clear that Harrison Ford would not be directly involved in the project, having been more than clear that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would be his last time wearing the character’s iconic fedora, most theories pointed to the show being a potential prequel with Indy’s unseen mentor Abner Ravenwood serving as the new series lead.
First mentioned in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, Abner Ravenwood was an Egyptologist and archaeologist who once taught Indy during his years at the University of Chicago. He was also the father of Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood, and posthumous grandfather to Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt Williams. While Abner’s character would never make an official appearance throughout the original films, some fan theories even point to Abner being the unnamed graverobber who first gives a young Indy his hat in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
With several direct connections to the franchise’s original hero, a prequel TV series focused on Abner Ravenwood would have been an exciting way to expand the IP. However, regardless of whether Lucasfilm was planning to develop an Abner Ravenwood series, it would seem audiences will never get the chance to see it. Now only time will tell if entertainment will return to the world of Indiana Jones, or whether Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will serve as the beloved franchise’s final chapter.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
