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5 hopes we have for 'Indiana Jones 5'

Kelly Lawler
USA TODAY
He's back. Let's hope there aren't snakes.

Indy is coming back. Again.

Disney announced on Tuesday that a fifth movie in the Indiana Jones franchise will be hitting theaters in 2019, starring the one and only Harrison Ford and directed by Steven Spielberg. The announcement was met with some trepidation by fans, who weren't in love with the 2008 revival of the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But take heart, friends, because it's a new day and a post Star Wars: The Force Awakens world. We have a lot more faith in revivals of classic franchises now.

We already have our two biggest requirements for the film -- the involvement of Spielberg and Ford -- but still, we do have a few ideas so we don't feel super burned when we walk out of the theater. Here are our five hopes for a new Indiana Jones movie (although if they give us the first two we don't care about much else).

1. No aliens

Look we were here for the particular brand of mysticism and the religious connections in the first three Indy flicks. Given his profession and the tone and time, it made sense. What didn't make sense? Surprise aliens in Crystal Skull. Outside the box is fine, but let's not get so far outside the box that we forget what movie we're in.

2. Retire Mutt

Bye Felicia.

Sorry Shia LaBeouf, but you just don't belong in Indiana Jones. The actor's greaser son of Indy was one of the biggest drags in Crystal Skull (and that's saying something). And we kinda think Shia agrees. This is him watching the film:

The new film should find a subtle but definitive way to remove Mutt from the continuity.

3. New co-stars

Remember how well Ford jelled with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in The Force Awakens? That is, distinctly better than his chemistry with LaBeouf in Crystal Skull? The problem wasn't the age difference, it was simply that the Ford and LaBeouf seemed to be acting in entirely different movies. Pairing him with actors like Boyega and Ridley (or perhaps Taron Egerton or Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who fit in with Ford's charisma is the right way to go.

4. Not too many callbacks

One of the (gasp!) not-so-great things about The Force Awakens was that it almost ticked off a check list of nostalgia points that it needed to hit as the film went on, even going so far as to basically recreate A New Hope. When the Indy franchise re-established itself with Crystal Skull (even if that's not our favorite movie) it took plenty of time to call upon the original, even bringing back Karen Allen. But the new film is an opportunity to move on from fan service. If Disney wants this franchise to go on and on and on (which, we suspect they probably do if Indy 5 makes a decent amount of money), they should find a way to gracefully pass the torch to someone else. Hey maybe like those exciting young co-stars we hope they cast!

5. Have genuine fun with it

Yes, Harrison Ford will be 77 by the time this movie comes out. But he wasn't exactly a young buck in Crystal Skull in 2008. There's no need for an overabundance of old fogey jokes. Ford's action chops were re-affirmed just this year in The Force Awakens. This time around, he can just have a lot of fun with the old hat and whip again. Crystal Skull seemed to be weighed down by its own heaviness and importance at times. Indiana Jones is important, but it is also a fun and endlessly entertaining franchise. The new movie should reflect that.

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