Disney finally gets around to developing an Indiana Jones show

To no one’s surprise, Disney has begun actively developing an Indiana Jones television series for Disney+. Variety reports today that the Mouse House is looking for a writer to bring the world’s most battered archeologist to the small screen and is hosting general meetings with creators who have a take on the most iconic whip-cracking fedora wearer in cinematic history. We assume the lucky writer gets bonus points for taking a story that would fit neatly into a two-hour film and stretching it over a 6-, 8-, or 10-part series. Details are still scant as Disney isn’t sure what kind of show this will be, a prequel, a sequel, a spin-off, or a reboot. But the vital thing to know is that the company has something non-specific in mind, the perfect place to start when reviving a beloved character.

Also bearing down on the company is Indiana Jones 5, which promises to be Ford’s swan song as the character and requires numerous tie-ins and sub-properties to be considered a success. There’s no point in making an Indiana Jones movie unless Disney can leverage it into more stuff. We can only assume the show will finally make good on the promise of Mutt Williams as Indy’s successor.

As to why this took so long is anyone’s guess. Perhaps, Disney worries that audiences would reject yet another young Harrison Ford doppelgänger as they had with Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, unlike Han Solo, numerous actors have already played Indiana. First, of course, there’s River Phoenix in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, but also the three from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, including Corey Carrier (ages 8–10), Sean Patrick Flanery (16–21), and George Hall (93). The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles rightfully assumed the character would live into his 90s, hopping around the globe and meeting historical figures like John Ford, Leo Tolstoy, Woodrow Wilson, and Pablo Picasso. And, unlike this new series, George Lucas has a story credit on numerous episodes, Carrie Fisher has a teleplay credit, and Nicolas Roeg, Terry Jones, and Mike Newell all directed episodes.

Indiana Jones 5 is expected in theaters next summer.