Harrison Ford: We Took All the Old Age Jokes Out of Indiana Jones 5

Ahead of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny‘s release on June 30, Harrison Ford has spoken about how the film addresses Indy’s age.

While speaking to THR, Ford discussed how the new movie confronts age compared to how Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did. The 2008 film approached the idea of Indy’s aging with a more exclusively comical slant, which the actor isn’t particularly fond of.

“Yeah. In [Dial of Destiny] there were a lot of old jokes in the script. We took them all out,” Ford explained. “There is a moment where he observes himself in this situation and says, ‘What the fuck am I doing in here?’ But I hate what I call ‘talking about the story.’ I want to see circumstances in which the audience gets a chance to experience the story, not to be led through the nose with highlights pointed out to them. I’d rather create behavior that is the joke of age rather than talk about it.”

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is once again being led by Harrison Ford as he reprises one of his most iconic roles as the titular explorer. Joining him as the female lead is Emmy and Golden Globe winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The final installment also features the introduction of other franchise newcomers Antonio Banderas, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, and Shaunette Renée Wilson.

The long-awaited film is being directed by Oscar nominee James Mangold (Logan) from a new screenplay he is co-writing with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, who collaborated on Ford v Ferrari. Mangold took over the director’s chair after Steven Spielberg exited his directorial duties for the film. Despite his exit, Spielberg will still remain part of the film’s production as a producer.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is being produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel, with John Williams returning to score the film.