Harrison Ford is bidding farewell to one of his most famous roles with the new film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which heads to theaters on Friday. The 80-year-old actor, who has played the adventurous Nazi-punching archaeologist in five movies since 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, confirmed that he would not be returning for more relic-related escapades in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. He said he was happy to have had the opportunity to “round out the story” with this fifth and final installment but felt it was time to hang up his fedora and whip for good.
The fifth movie in the franchise finds Indy in his later years in 1969, with the Space Race in full swing and a lot of pressure from his goddaughter (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) to find an ancient dial that could help them beat the Soviets to the moon landing. In the film, directed by James Mangold, who took over the reins from Steven Spielberg in 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the hero has to battle both his demons and the ravages of time.
Dial of Destiny will have all the hallmarks of past entries in the series, from vehicle chases to interpersonal politics to that classic John Williams score. But the movie also works hard to make Indy seem old and tired to demonstrate that life does run out of steam at a certain point.
Ford, who has been playing the role for nearly half a century, says that he wanted this last iteration of the series to be about how the hero ages and not simply be a superhero. He has other projects on his plate, with the Apple TV+ comedy Shrinking, the Paramount Plus drama 1923 heading into production next year, and the Marvel tentpole Captain America: Brave New World due in July. He also has a recurring role as President Thaddeus Ross in the hit TV show Designated Survivor.
But he has no plans to retire from acting altogether, saying he is still passionate about what he does. “I haven’t decided when to stop,” he told Reuters, but that he’s happy to be working and that he’s been blessed with a fantastic career in the process. He adds that he has been fortunate enough to have had many great opportunities to bring joy to people and that he’ll continue to pursue those avenues in the future.
