Indiana Jones is missing from Disney’s plethora of content and, as a fan of the character, I want to know why.

For Star Wars fans, we live in a golden age; Since acquiring Lucasfilm back in 2012, Disney has pumped out so much content based on the galaxy far, far away that even I can’t keep up. We live in an awesome time to be a geek! So don’t take it the wrong way when I say…I’m not happy.

Indiana Jones, a multi-billion dollar franchise — now owned by the House of Mouse — has a fifth film in development with a current release schedule of July 9th, 2021, but compared to the way they utilize Star Wars it seems like our intrepid archaeologist is on the bench. Bar the promised fifth film in the franchise — which seems to live in a perpetual development hell — there has been a complete lack of utilization of the character across the board. I’m being dramatic, you say? Well, let’s dive in.

Indiana Jones And The Absence of Video Games

We all know Indiana Jones has an incredible video game history. Fate of Atlantis, Emperor’s Tomb, and Temple Run (…wait). The last video game starring Indy was Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings — which came out June 9, 2009 — and was met with mixed reviews. The game was announced back in 2005 by Lucasarts and was initially intended for PS3 and Xbox 360, but after years went by and — rumors of cancelation — it was eventually released on lower-end consoles and handhelds without explanation.

On April 3, 2013 — just a year after acquisition by Disney — Lucasfilm announced that Lucasarts would cease to operate. That following May, it was announced that Electronic Arts would develop future Star Wars titles through a multi-year license. These press releases made no mention of Indiana Jones. With Lucasarts having made all previous Indy titles, the future of Jones in games is left very unclear.

Since the acquisition, EA has made Star Wars: Battlefront I&II, Galaxy of Heroes, and it’s upcoming Jedi: Fallen Order.

Number of Indiana Jones related titles in development: 0

Indiana Jones And The Perils Of Television

Lucasfilm has a short history with television. Maybe George Lucas was left with a sour taste in his mouth after the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Surprisingly, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was their first and only real live-action television series to enter production until The Mandalorian, which streams on Disney+ later this year.

Personally, I don’t think a live-action series would work, but an animated series? Absolutely! If you don’t believe me check out this beautiful fan-made animated short by Patrick Schoenmaker:

Right now, there are two live-action television series based on Star Wars coming to Disney+ that we know about. One, The Mandalorian, based on an unknown Mandalorian bounty hunter and set between the Original and Sequel Trilogies. The other, based on Cassian Andor, as first seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. There exist also numerous animated programs such as the beloved Clone Wars, Rebels, and new Star Wars Resistance. Wow! That’s A LOT of Star Wars.

Number of Indiana Jones shows in development: 0

Indiana Jones And The Vanishing Literature

Indiana Jones has been featured in a lot of comics and novels. On the comics side, we have runs from Marvel and Dark Horse, with the most recent being Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods back in 2009. The novels have ranged from movie tie-ins to original novels featuring Indy set between Young Indy and the events of the films. The latter I have been revisiting of late and, although I do enjoy them, they are not of the quality of the current Star Wars stuff.

Along with the release of Disney’s The Force Awakens in 2015, that year also boasted the return of the Star Wars comics rights to Marvel from Dark Horse in order to keep things sort of “in house”. One is left to wonder if Indiana Jones’ comics rights were also transferred and, if so, why hasn’t he had any comics release with them to date?

In addition to comics, Star Wars has had a complete library of novels set within Disney’s current canon. Why hasn’t Indy as well?

Number of Indiana Jones novels/comics in development: 0

Indiana Jones and the Mystery of Merchandise

Star Wars sells merch. ‘Nuff said. I know for a fact it sells more merch than Indy ever did or will. Fans eagerly seek collectible toys and figures, snatch up all available clothing, and they love to personalize offices, bedrooms, cars and more with something that says “I AM Star Wars.”

I don’t think Indy doesn’t sell merch. There’s got to be enough interest to at least warrant a T-Shirt for crying out loud. Is it too much too much to ask for a phone case? Jeez, folks. The only available official merchandise I ever see is the stuff they have at Disneyland in Anaheim over by his ride.

If there is one place where Disney has always had a ton of representation for Indy, it’s in their parks. Currently Indy has attractions located at Disney Parks in Paris, Tokyo, Florida, and California. Each has — or had — a matching gift shop located near the rides exit/entrance named Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost. Sadly, however, in 2017 The Adventure Outpost in Disneyland California was shut down to make way for…a dining area. As a result, a fraction of the merch featured at the shop has been moved to a neighboring gift shop where Indy shares it’s space with the Jungle Cruise merch.

Since the move, I’ve noticed that there is less and less Indy swag available every time I go. Not only that but the stuff they offer hasn’t changed or updated in any way. Almost as if they’re just setting out what’s left in a warehouse and letting it run out until it’s gone. Very odd…

Number of Indy merch in development: 0

Indiana Jones and the Hunger for Adventure

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull could be one of the only films to ever hit around $800 million and not get a sequel but, due to the very mixed reactions to the film, I can understand why. But if I’m being honest, that doesn’t explain the lack of Indy in other mediums, and with how popular this character is amongst those young and old, I see it as money left on the table.

What kid doesn’t want to don a fedora and fight the bad guys? Heck, I’m 30years old and that sounds fun. Not only that, but I see fans within the community seeking out un-official Indy merch every day. Places like Etsy and TeePublic come to mind. Etsy and Teepublic bost thousands of results when you search for Indiana Jones, a virtual Indy Black Market,  so there must be some sort of demand.

Compare Indy’s box office to an IP like Ghostbusters and you’ll see Indy is the more popular franchise. According to Box Office Mojo, total grosses — adjusted for inflation — for the entire Ghostbusters franchise comes in at just over $1 billion. Total grosses for the Indiana Jones franchise, on the other hand are over $2.1 billion, nearly double.  Yet, I can get official Ghostbusters merch in most big box stores, Ghostbusters has had more than one animated series, and a new film is already in production.

Sony gets it. That’s why they have placed their Uncharted film adaptation into “advanced development.” Inspired directly by Indiana Jones, the Uncharted games for the Sony PlayStation is a series that has broken several sales records. To date, Uncharted has sold 41.7 million units globally, is a member of the PlayStation Essentials series, and is one of the best selling video game franchises of all time.

Tomb Raider is another example. According to Box Office Mojo, the recent adaptation of the wildly successful video game franchise grossed $274.6 million worldwide. For only having a $94 million dollar budget, I’d call that a success. There’s even a sequel in the works.

Another success for Sony in the high adventure genre has been the recent Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, having grossed a whopping $962+ million dollars worldwide. With a sequel already in production, and the film’s star — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — also shooting the Indy-esque Jungle Cruise film, it’s clear both Sony and Disney are aware of the overall crave for adventure films. So what gives?

Conclusion

Hopefully, after reading all this you can see what I see, and hopefully, I don’t sound too crazy (puts away tinfoil hat). Regardless, you must admit this all seems very peculiar. Maybe it’s an issue with rights? Paramount having owned the distribution rights before Disney purchased Lucasfilm? I doubt that, though. Lucas usually always held onto rights for things outside the films (such as merch and books). Also, a deal was struck with Paramount back in 2013 that allowed Disney to distribute all future films in the franchise.

Indiana Jones is a multi-billion dollar franchise featuring a beloved character who is a staple of pop culture. Regardless of Indy 5’s development — In a nostalgia-filled world — it seems off that Indy is missing on all fronts. If you agree, let’s let Disney/Lucasfilm know. Tweet or share the hashtag #WhereIsIndy and maybe that will get their attention.

What do you think is going on with Disney and Indiana Jones? Am I completely wrong? Let’s discuss in the comments below.

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