INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY Stars and Director Talk About Their First Experiences With the Franchise

Last week was the big red carpet premiere of the film Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, the latest and final Harrison Ford-led sequel in the adventure series. The opening took place on the 42nd anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first film in the franchise that opened in 1981.

ComicBook was in attendance, and they had the chance to chat with the film's cast in addition to director James Mangold. Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Jürgen Voller, Shaunette Renée Wilson (Agent Mason), Boyd Holbrook (Klaber), and Mangold were each asked about their first Indy experiences, and they shared:

"I'm old enough that it came out when I was a teenager," Mikkelsen shared. "I did not go to the movies. I waited when it came out on a DVD and my brother and me, we rented it together with five other films and we ended up watching Indiana Jones five times." 

Wilson added, "I probably watched it first time as a kid with my brother and maybe my dad on some old AMC channel back in Brooklyn, and was just enthralled by the adventure and the stunts and the scope of what the film is." 

When asked if they freaked out when they saw Harrison Ford in the classic Indy outfit, Holbrook replied, "Yeah. It's pretty surreal." Wilson added, "I geek out watching because I don't think he got into the outfit when I was shooting with them." Holbrook explained, "Yeah. The first time, it was in Sicily and he was just hanging out on the wall, just leaning, just hanging out." 

"It's on this day that I went and saw it in Middletown, New York at the Orange County Cinema. I was alone on the first matinee. And blown away," Mangold shared. "It's crazy," he added when asked how it feels to be making his own Indy film. "I mean, on the simplest level, if you go back to the 17-year-old sitting there, I knew I wanted to be a movie director, although seeing Raiders was only galvanizing that feeling. But if you told me that I'd be making a movie with those people on the screen, that would blow my mind." 

When Harrison Ford himself was asked if he remembered what fans thought on opening night of the original film, he explained:

"I don't remember what people thought. I do remember what I thought. I remember that there was that pleasure. There was pleasure. There was laughter, there was popcorn being sold and people were happy and families were going. I was very excited." 

This is such a beloved franchise, and early reviews are saying this film is going to be a lot of fun for the fans! The film will open in theaters on June 30, 2023. Are you looking forward to seeing Indy again in theaters?