Rumors hit a bit of a fever pitch back in 2021 regarding Chris Pratt becoming the next Indiana Jones when it would come time to reboot the property after Harrison Ford’s iconic run with the adventure franchise. Pratt was very aware of the rumors, but he is revealing that those rumors would never become a reality because Harrison Ford himself scared him off from playing the character.
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Pratt said he once saw a quote from Ford: “When I die, Indiana Jones dies.” The actor quipped that this was enough for him to avoid playing the character because he did not want to be haunted by Ford if he took on the part. You can check out Pratt’s quote below!
“I don’t even know who Steven Spielberg is. Who? Steven Who?. No, aren’t they doing ‘Indiana Jones’ with Harrison Ford? All I know is I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford and I don’t even know if it was really him but it was enough to scare me, that was like, ‘When I die, Indiana Jones dies.’ And I’m like, am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play…?”
The quote in question comes from a 2019 interview that Harrison Ford did on Today. The actor bluntly said at the time: “Don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy.” The actor is already set to reprise the role in a fifth film directed by James Mangold that is expected to hit theaters on June 30, 2023. The film also stars Phoeebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, and Antonio Banderas.
There was a time I thought Chris Pratt would be a good replacement for Harrison Ford if they chose to reboot the franchise but I really want to see the actor take on more non-franchise roles that flexes his talents a bit more. While he’s enjoyable in the Guardians films and the Jurassic World trilogy, there is a bit of a sameness to those roles that make me believe he’s merely playing an extension of himself. I think Indiana Jones would really be more of the same for him.
Would YOU want to see Chris Pratt play Indiana Jones?