Kathleen Kennedy Has No Regrets About INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY and Believes Indy Will Never Be Done
Even though Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny didn’t land as the crown jewel Lucasfilm had hoped for, outgoing studio president Kathleen Kennedy isn’t second-guessing the decision to bring Indiana Jones back for one more adventure. And more interestingly, she isn’t convinced the fedora-and-whip icon is finished either.
Speaking with Deadline about the film’s reception and its underwhelming box office run, which came in under $400 million worldwide, Kennedy made it clear that the choice to make Dial of Destiny was driven by one person above all else. Harrison Ford. According to Kennedy, giving Ford another chance to play the character mattered more than the numbers.
“I have no regrets about that because Harrison [Ford] wanted to do that more than anything. He did not want Indy to end with the fourth movie. He wanted a chance at another, and we did that for him. I think that was the right thing to do.”
That fourth movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has long been viewed as the rough patch in an otherwise legendary franchise. While Dial of Destiny didn’t completely rewrite that narrative for audiences, Kennedy still stands by the decision as the right creative call for Ford and the character.
When it comes to the future of Indiana Jones, Kennedy isn’t offering firm promises or hard denials. Instead, she leans into the idea that the character exists beyond any single film cycle. For her, Indy is bigger than box office performance or current development plans.
“I don’t think Indy will ever be done, but I don’t think anybody is interested right now in exploring it. But these are timeless movies, and Indy will never be done.”
Kennedy also reminded fans that the original creative circle is still very much intact, which means any future decisions would come from the people who helped define the franchise in the first place.
“You never know. But we are all still here, Steven [Spielberg] and Frank [Marshall] and I, and Harrison and George [Lucas]. So we get to say whether there’s going to be any more, or not.”
Indiana Jones has been a cinematic heavyweight since the moment he burst onto the screen in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. That debut led to two widely adored sequels, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, cementing the character as one of the most enduring heroes in movie history.
While the film series has had its ups and downs, Indy hasn’t exactly been gathering dust. The character thrived on the small screen in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles during the ’90s and recently found new life in gaming with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, proving there’s still plenty of appetite for new stories in different formats.
So while Dial of Destiny may not have been the triumphant finale some hoped for, Kennedy’s comments make one thing clear. Indiana Jones isn’t being shelved forever.
Whether it’s on screen, on a console, or somewhere fans aren’t expecting yet, Indy’s adventure doesn’t sound like it’s over anytime soon.