As much as we all hate to admit it, Harrison Ford is getting up there in years.  That’s not to say his days are anywhere near numbered, but when it comes to physical movie roles, there’s only so much the 73-year-old actor can do in terms of stunts, and only so much an audience can buy. I’ll stop beating around the bush. I’m talking about Indiana Jones, and what seemed like the character’s eventual recasting. Recently, producer Frank Marshall confirmed that recasting Indy for the fifth film would be out of the question, but does that mean we’ll never get a new Indy? After all, this is a franchise that, given the right direction, can exist forever, with new version of the character popping up every three or four movies (a la James Bond).

In a recent conversation with Screen, director Steven Spielberg gave his thoughts on replacing Harrison Ford.

“It’s certainly not my intention to ever have another actor step into his shoes in the way there have been many actors that have played Spider-Man or Batman. There is only going to be one actor playing Indiana Jones and that’s Harrison Ford.”

Sorry Chris Pratt, but it looks like Ford will be hanging onto his whip indefinitely, for better or worse. Those of you hoping to see a younger Indiana Jones once again taking on the Nazis will be sorely disappointed. But hey, there are plenty of Cold War shenanigans Dr. Jones can handle in the meantime.

Yes, the last time Spielberg tried that the results were underwhelming, though while “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a disappointing movie for fans, Spielberg isn’t discouraged.

“…There are more adventures out there than films. So as long as there’s more adventures out there, I’ve got a bullwhip, a fedora, a leather jacket and a man on a horse who knows how to get the job done.”

Sure, there are some fans out there saying, “They already tried and older Indy, and it was terrible,” but let’s keep in mind, just because the last movie was disappointing doesn’t mean the next one is doomed to repeat the same mistakes. At the end of the day, Spielberg is still potentially one of the most talented and influential directors of all time. In addition, Harrison Ford’s no slouch as an actor, and he’s forever made his mark on movie geek culture, and there are worse things than seeing him return to one of his most famous roles.

All that remains is for the actual production of a film to get underway.  Once that happens, we’ll really be able to start a conversation.

What do you think of Spielberg’s comments? Are you happy that Ford will never be replaced, or would you prefer to see the franchise reset itself? Let us know your thoughts down below!

SOURCE: ScreenDaily