With Indiana Jones 5 said to be Harrison Ford’s last outing as the famed adventuring archeologist, could Lucasfilm already be planning to “pass the torch” to a new character introduced in the film?

That’s the rumor, according to the Daily Mail UK. According to their insiders, the new female sidekick played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge is being eyed to effectively replace Harrison Ford’s Dr. Jones going forward.

From The Daily Mail…

Insiders claim Kathleen Kennedy, the Hollywood producer behind the franchise, is keen to make ‘big, bold’ changes – with few bigger than switching the lead character to a woman.

One said: ‘It would be a huge statement, and a great role for Phoebe.’

Ms Kennedy’s spokesman declined to comment on the rumours.

Clearly this will be the end of the line for Ford in the leading role. At nearly 80 years old, Ford has already injured himself on the set of Indiana Jones 5, and it’s incredibly unlikely he’d be up for any kind of return to the action franchise, save for maybe a cameo.

Given how lucrative the Indiana Jones IP is for Disney-Lucasfilm, there’s been years of speculation that they might simply recast Indiana Jones with a younger actor. Chris Pratt was rumored for quite some time.

The end of the last outing, the much maligned Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, saw Indiana Jones’ son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) pick up the iconic hat, only to have it taken away by the senior Jones.

Perhaps LeBeouf was being set up to carry on with Ford’s legacy, but the given his… erratic… public behavior after the movie, and the fact that the movie was widely panned by fans, might’ve ended Mutt’s archelogy career before it even began.

Obviously, Disney is staying silent on this one.

What are your thoughts on the possibility of Indiana Jones being replaced by a woman? Comment below!

[Source: The Daily Mail]