Harrison Ford, for my money, is the greatest man actor going.
Notice I say “man,” not “male.” Greatest male actor? Gary Oldman.
And though Harrison may be technically somewhat of an OldMan himself, he’s still the greatest man for any manly silver-screen job.
An easy example of the icon’s macho supremacy is his starring turn in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Let’s see amazing master thespian Gary do that.
The sequel to Raiders — ’84’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — was fantastic. And five years later, Harrison teamed up with the previous generation’s greatest man, Sean Connery. More greatness.
The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? My comments were cut short due to time…
Indy 5 is currently set for a release date of July 9th, 2021. And I, for one, can’t wait. My hopes: no swinging like apes, no crotchety-old-man schtick.
“Crotchety” ain’t needed — as can be seen on a buffet of TV talk show appearances, Harrison’s still got the vitality and energy of a spring chicken (In particular, check out spots with Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon). Let Indiana leap into action!
But what about when he’s sick and tired of being sick and tired?
Who’s gonna wear the high-crowned, wide-brimmed sable fedora then?
On Friday’s Today show, Han Solo was asked such a question by host Craig Melvin.
The interviewer introduced:
“Indiana Jones number five…”
“Yeah — he’s in here somewhere,” Harrison replied, pointing to his head.
Craig:
“He better be, because it’s coming out.”
“He wants to come out,” the actor quipped.
Craig asked:
“When you’re done with that role, who would you like to see as Indiana Jones.”
Harrison put his hand on Craig’s shoulder and explained:
“No one is gonna be Indiana Jones. Don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone. It’s easy.”
“This is a hell of a way to tell Chris Pine this…I’m sorry, man,” the star laughed.
So no Chris Pine.
Chris’s dad, Chips actor Robert Pine — incidentally — is super nice (and Chips rules).
For an alternate Indy, some have suggested openly-Christian Chris Pratt (here):
Here's the story, Mr. Spielberg: Indiana Jones (aka Harrison Ford) goes looking for the Fountain of Youth. Shocker: He finds it. Younger Indie (aka Chris Pratt) exits the water. Franchise saved. You're welcome. #Hollywood #movies
— Douglas Ernst (@douglasernst) April 4, 2018
I love all five Indiana Jones movies, particularly the one starring a fan-made image of Chris Pratt. pic.twitter.com/f4ng1YEmT1
— Matt Singer (@mattsinger) September 28, 2016
In a poll from ComingSoon.net, 55% said No to anyone else playing the whip-bearing adventurer.
As for particular replacements, the results went like this:
- Chris Pratt 37%
- Bradley Cooper 31%
- Chris Pine 6%
- Chris Evans 5%
- Shia LaBeouf 4%
- Ryan Gosling 4%
- Alden Ehrenreich 3%
- Joseph Gordon Levitt 2%
- Liam Hemsworth 2%
- Dan Stevens 2%
- Jack Reynor 1%
- Ansel Elgort 1%
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson 1%
Harrison — who admirably and thankfully stays away from trumpeted political commentary — is right: Nobody can be Indiana Jones except him.
Same goes for Han (Sorry, Solo: A Star Wars Story).
Actually, there may be one — the person they should’ve cast as the smuggler in last year’s origin story. And he’s the only one.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the sly young pilot of the Millennium Falcon:
I anxiously await 2021. Who’s with me?
-ALEX
See 3 more pieces from me:
Identifying As Straight Couple Prepares To Transition 5-Yr-Old Son Into A Daughter
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