James Mangold (Indiana Jones 5) says no to fan service: “It’s large-scale publicity”

The director of Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny refuses to direct an upcoming film centered on Helena Shaw, the adventurer’s goddaughter played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny marks the great return ofHarrison Ford in the shoes of the famous adventurer, but also the appearance of a brand new protagonist: his goddaughter, Helena Shaw. Its director, James Mangold and the screenwriter John Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Le Mans 66) wrote this character specifically for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who embodies it in this fifth installment.

So, could Helena Shaw ensure a future for the franchise, even without the presence of Harrison Ford? Not impossible, but in any case, it will be without James Mangold. The director categorically refuses to play this game, which he considers fan service. When variety asked him if he had already spoken with Disney about the potential of the actress to carry the continuation of the saga, he was immediately turned.

“It does not interest me. I even refuse. This amount of Easter eggs and fan service around movies is really starting to get antithetical. It is no longer telling stories, but simply advertising on a large scale”he retorted.

For her part, the president of LucasFilm, Kathleen Kennedy, does not close the door to this idea of ​​inheritance. She recently claimed that he was “totally possible” that such a film sees the light of day. Nevertheless, “we don’t have those kinds of conversations at all right now”she nuanced in stride.

It must be said that barely arrived in the universe ofIndiana Jones, Phoebe Waller-Bridge already marked him with her freshness and her energy. After working on the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018 (where she hides behind the L3-37 droid costume), LucasFilm told her about the writers’ ambitions for the character of Helena. They saw in the actress the same kind of courage and ingenuity that made Karen Allen the perfect interpreter for the character of Marion Ravenwood as early as 1981.

“I was intrigued, read the script and had a blast. I said yes right away. I only accept a project if I immediately see myself playing the character. And I was dying to play Helena”she explained to First at the Cannes Film Festival last May.

In Indiana Jones 5while the professor is celebrating his retirement, Helena thwarts his plans by talking to him about a “dial that could change the course of history”. A new quest that will rekindle the flame of good old Indy.

The film will be released in theaters on June 28.

Indiana Jones 5: James Mangold promises to do his “best version of Steven Spielberg”