Commentary Track
Six Actors Who Could Be the Next Indiana Jones
Posted by Josh Radde (josh@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 22, 2008
The guys over at Cin City 2000 recently made a case for who could play the next Indiana Jones. They argued that since Indy’s genesis is very much derived from the James Bond lore, why not just get someone to portray Indiana Jones for the next batch of movies. They argued that Indiana Jones “stands for every globetrotting adventurer.” Though I may not agree entirely with the idea of picking a new Dr. Jones, it’s still something to consider.
The future of Indiana Jones adventures is unknown. Many have speculated (and George Lucas has said aloud) that we may see some adventures with Mutt (portrayed in The Kingdom of the Crystall Skull by Shia LeBeouf) after this film. CC2K makes a case for “Firefly”’s Nathan Fillion as being a worthy replacement for the franchise, but it makes you wonder: Who else could wear that fedora?
First, let’s define exactly what it is that makes Harrison Ford a great Indiana Jones.
1. He’s a man’s man
2. Funny
3. Charming
4. Intense five o’clock shadow?
5. He’s Harrison F*cking Ford!
So, who possesses all those qualities (1-4):
Clive Owen
Clive Owen was one of the people considered for James Bond when Pierce Brosnan stepped down, along with the likes of Jude Law and a few others. He’s an Oscar-nominated actor who has some action chops (Shoot ‘Em Up was a riot) to boot. He’s got the charm and all, but is he too British? I can’t seem to recall what his American accent sounds like.
Ewan McGregor
Hey, if Harrison Ford can play Indiana Jones and Han Solo, why can’t McGregor play Indy and Obi-Wan Kenobi? This Scottish actor has appeared in several action flicks. But is he a man’s man? He might be too much of a touchy, feely Indy who spends too much time getting freaked out by baby’s crawling on his ceiling. Plus, The Island left a bad feeling in my mouth as to his action movie credibility.
Nick Nolte
He almost got Han Solo over Ford! So let’s play a game of “What if” and picture Nick Nolte as Indiana Jones. Do you see him? With his crazy I-just-got-arrested hairdo. Squinty eyes. Grizzled voice. Like he’s always three seconds away from breaking your neck. Imagine Nolte in Temple of Doom — not only would he be more than happy to pull someone’s heart out of their chest, but he’d probably take a bite or three.
Hugh Jackman
Maybe my personal favorite choice, Hugh Jackman has been groomed for a role like this for some time. He got fan boys attention by playing the uber-manly Wolverine, and I think I just saw him wearing a hat not too unlike a fedora in the trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. He’s got the charm, the no-bullsh*t attitude, but can he be fun? My main beef with Jackman is that he takes things too seriously.
Will Smith
I remember reading something back in Entertainment Weekly right after Men in Black came out, comparing Smith to Harrison Ford. Both actor’s have a wide appeal, and Smith already played a white man (kinda, he replaced Robert Conrad as James West in Wild Wild West). He’s got a lot of action/adventure on his resume. He made us all laugh in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Smith has the type of appeal that reaches beyond race.
Nathan Fillion
I gotta give CC2K credit for this one. Fillion is a damn good pick. They made a good point when they say “Indiana Jones and Mal Reynolds (from “Firefly”) are both adventurous bumblers.” That’s some of the joy of watching those old Indiana Jones movies, to see the way Indy will improvise. Fillion has what it takes to be a leading man in Hollywood, and I’m surprised he really hasn’t made that leap yet. Maybe it’s about time he took over a giant franchise and became the world’s favorite archeologist.
Talking point: Who do you think would make a worthy Indiana Jones replacement?
Read more articles by Josh Radde
19 Comments
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
i thought they were thinking of using LeBouf for the job?
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Kieffer Sutherland would be a great Indy
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Kiefer sorry.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
The only way they’d use Lebeouf is if he:
1) Does Mutt Williams and the Curse of the Red Scare or
2) Decides to call himself “Indiana”, and then it’s still a different character altogether.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
call me crazy but if they were to make more Indy movies then they should get Sean Patrick Flannery only because he was young Indy on TV, and if they turned some of his earlier adventures into movies then it would cool, I however can see Nathan Fillion doing Indy so whoever picked him good idea.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:03 am
Chuck Norris
sry had to use the cliche`
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:15 am
Ewan McGregor is too girlish. You should be ashamed for saying Will Smith, as if Indiana ever says “Awww Hellll Nawwwwss” in a film, there will be a murder epidemic.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:37 am
I think Sam Neil would make a good Indy if he’s up for it. Although I suppose he is only 5 years younger.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Indy is Harrison Ford and nobody can fill his fedora-period. People who speculate to this fact, try remembering a little movie called the Phantom Menace…we already see that Lucus is a $grubbing individual and with the botch job done on Transformers Stevie boy’s not too far behind his partner-in-crime. I for one am tired of Hollywood being stale-(which it has been for years)-& turning out more Bewitched/Superman Returns/Spider-Man 3 (when it comes to digging into unoriginal ideas) movies versus the Batman Begins/Sin City’s of the movie world. So, I just wish they’d stop rehashing old series & trying to use nostalga and established franchises to bilking the movie watching public out of our money. Nuff said.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
Those who disagree with my above comment should be bullwhipped just before having their face melt/heart pulled out/or getting turned to dust. There really is no need to speculate. Once Harrison is done w/playing Indy, that should be that. If anything, try doing a spin-off movie but don’t put a jerk in a fedora, give him a bullwhip, machete, & revolver & then slap property of Dr. H. Jones all over everything. I’m tired of being spoken down to by mass media & major corporations into accepting their rainy days as sunshine, (e.g-”Diamond Shreddies” WTF?!?!?!?!?!?! How stupid are people?). Just can the series, enjoy your residual incomes Mr. Lucas & Mr. Spielberg and ride off into that sweet sunset like Indy did the last time we saw him don that fedora.
Ok…now I’m done.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Gary Busey as Indy and the bad guy … at the same time
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 am
You know, Nathan Fillion isn’t a bad pick. I never would have thought of him, myself, but I can kinda see it.
And Kierfer? No way.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I can agree with Jason above and his recommendation of Sean Patrick Flannery–you have an actor who totally pulled off being young INDY and who is already accepted by the fans. Granted, he is now 43 so the time is limited (especially if they take too long between shots).
May 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
One more thought…how about Joe Flanigan?
May 24th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Clive Owen definately, or that Jason Strathen from “Transporter”. They are both Hot, Rugged, A Man’s Man. Draws the Men and the Ladies.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Hmm, missed it when it was a current thread, but still gotta get my 2 cents in. ;-) 1st of all, I’d like to say that the character Indiana Jones has already been played by several different actors at various ages (even more than credited in Young Indy), and they all worked. 2nd I agree 100% with the deduction referring to the James Bond style continuation of the Indy franchise with new younger actors, there’s way too many stories that can be told, to lock in the one-and-only (but 66+ year old) Harrison Ford. 3rd, and I kid you not, when I first saw Nathan Fillion in Serenity, I thought, “now that’s the guy who needs to be the new Indiana Jones!” That movie was my introduction to Firefly, and since then I have watched every episode (hulu.com), and though I would love to see Firefly revised, not a single episode was watched that I didn’t think of Nathan Fillion as a perfect potential Indiana Jones player. And lastly, having seen Crystal Skull, the franchise would be much better off with either A) a new Indy actor, B) a new Mutt Jones spin-off franchise, or C) both (my personal favorite). Not because I have anything against Ford, but because I want to see more Raiders of the Lost Ark era Indy adventures. Harrison can always reprise the role in Mutt Jones spin-off movies (post 1957 era).
June 14th, 2008 at 5:41 am
I guess I did get a bit off-topic, so here’s the short version: Who else could wear that fedora? In my opinion, no other actor today has what it takes to portray Indy than Harrison Ford and Nathan Fillion for their respective ages. Although, I would not be opposed to a tried and true Sean Patrick Flannery, if he’s in the right shape for it (haven’t seen him for years), for additional movies in his respective age range. I’d also like to see the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles revised, either in a new series, or some made-for-t.v. movies (with a new casts, of course, and without the educational element).
June 15th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I’m hating the idea of LeBeouf as the next “Indy”. All the while I was watching the movie I was whispering under my breath, “please don’t let it be Mutt Jones and the Temple of Doom” or whatever the next title will be. He just doesn’t have that macho charisma thing going on for me. And what is he? Fourteen? Sean Patrick Flannery I’m loving. Just took a peek at imdb and he sure looks to be in shape. And he does have a macho look. They could also utilize clips of Young Indy in the new Indys. Gotta to get on the stick, though. Unless they’re going to wait another 20 years to make the next one. Then Shia would be 34. jk His face just isn’t seasoned enough to be a swashbuckler. My vote: SPF
August 27th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Clive Owen is such a great actor!!! I just don’t think he’d hit as Indy (although he’d look AMAZING in the outfit). His American accent isn’t the greatest (sorry Clive - I do love you, I swear) and I’m thankful for that! I LOVE his natural accent.
Hugh Jackman I could maybe see? Sean Patrick Flannery or River Phoenix were the only ones who even came remotely close. NO ONE will ever replace Harrison Ford as Indy. NO ONE.