I don't think it's a Joke... it even fits with those old rumours of Shia and Ford
signing for more movies.
But from saying such a thing to making it for real there is a looong way.
I agree with
No Ticket that Indy 4 is a guilty pleasure (LC ending was perfect). But at least this movie has the value of seeing an
aging hero dealing with a changing world.
Indy 5 will not have that kind of interest for me anymore. They have to find something new and exciting to make it worth. Shia will not be new either. And for new, I'm not talking about
Kevin Costner as a lost evil brother, or Natalie Portman as a daughter
But... I think they are perfectly capable to do something exciting.
On the other hand... Indy is almost in his 60's now. We know he hasn't many adventures left to live. Ending it now gives us still some room for imagination (something George Halls characterization somehow denied).
But with one or two other movies, we will get to the point where we will see the scene of Mutt sitting besides a dying Indy in his bed
Two more things... the
time frame isn't necessary an issue. You can find the right tone for adventure in any time.
And I certainly prefer now a pure Mutt spinoff rather than a movie with Indy as a sidekick. Mutt's adventures don't need to deal with archaeology and lost treasures. As long as he travels around the world, and we don't get to know about Indy, and Spielberg is on board, they can make as many movies as they want (and surely they would be pretty good ones).
But after thinking better about it, I wouldn't like a passive Indy as some kind of
old Kenobi.
Oh, oh! And one more thing... we all here are clearly Indy fans. We are an absolute majority right now. But what if new fans
like Mutt better than Indy? And what if we are talking about millions of them? "Doing it for the fans" could have a new meaning in the future
All is sooo relative.