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Maybe he could just star in a CGI adaptation of Mutts instead

Kim Hollis: George Lucas recently hinted that if there were a fifth Indiana Jones film, it would focus on the character played by Shia LaBeouf, Mutt. Do you believe such a film would be as readily accepted as one starring Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones? Basically, do you think it's time for the torch to be passed or should this franchise be allowed to fade into the sunset?

Pete Kilmer: It comes down to the story. If the story is there and George and Steven are up for it...then I say why not? Plus with Professor Jones now the Associate Dean of the University...he can be the new Marcus Brody character and can show up to have some fun as well.

David Parker: I think the draw of this series is Indiana Jones in brand, name and appearance. You might be able to get someone else to play Indy instead of Harrison, but I don't think the movies would be successful with a new main character. Imagine a James Bond movie with James's estranged nephew playing 004.

Didn't we just find out what happens to a franchise (Narnia) when the audience no longer instantly recognizes the brand?

Reagen Sulewski: The words "backpack" and "dynamite" come to mind.





Joel Corcoran: I think there's room for a continuation of the same story based around Mutt, if Indiana still has a large presence in the film - maybe coordinating strategy and intrigue while leaving the adventurism to the younger generation. Getting over the focus on one character (Indiana himself) will make it much tougher for Spielberg and Lucas to expand the franchise along other branches compared to efforts in other franchises that were very successful, like in Star Wars or Star Trek. One interesting possibility would be a movie prequel that bridged the story's timeline between the Young Indiana Jones TV show and Temple of Doom.

Max Braden: To quote Henry Jones Senior, "Let it go." But it's already too late. I'm not ignoring the amount of money that the Indy franchise made, but National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code came along, stripped the heart out, and spotlighted the money that could be made from treasure hunting movies. The reboot of James Bond, prequels of Star Wars, future crossover of comic book heroes of Iron Man et al, plus the box office performance of this Indy installment will most likely encourage Lucas to see how much more he can squeeze out of the brand.

Les Winan: No no, a thousand times no. Let's remember the other "ideas" about franchises Lucas has been involved in and think about how they turned out.

Jim Van Nest: Okay, I haven't seen the film yet, but...I'm thinking it would be a bit difficult to continue the franchise centered around another character. Another actor could be done, but not another character. For instance, who knows how many Indy films we would have had by now if River Phoenix hadn't died. He easily could have stepped in and been Indiana Jones for a new generation. But to try to center the franchise around someone who's not Indy just wouldn't work, in my opinion. Sadly, I think Shia could have been the guy to take over the role of Indiana Jones and make it work, but as Mutt, I don't think the franchise can survive.

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