THE fifth entry in the iconic Indiana Jones trilogy will feature footage of a much younger Harrison Ford generated through new de-ageing technology.
According to Empire magazine, Ford will appear as he did in the original trilogy’s opening sequence. The initial scene will be the only one in which the actor is digitally de-aged, turning the clock back to 1944 before the main action of the film begins in 1969.
As reported by the magazine: “Several techniques were employed to pull the sequence off, including new ILM software that trawled through archived material of the younger Harrison Ford before matching it to the freshly-shot footage.”
Director James Mangold also stated that by de-aging Ford the film’s opening, he “wanted the chance to dive into this kind of full-on George Lucas and Steven Spielberg old picture and give the audience an adrenaline blast.”
“So that the audience doesn’t experience the change between the ‘40s and ‘60s as an intellectual conceit, but literally experiences the buccaneering spirit of those early days,“ the director said. “And then the beginning of now.”
Ford said seeing himself de-aged was “a little spooky,” but he added: “This is the first time I’ve seen it where I believe it ... I don’t think I even want to know how it works, but it works. It doesn’t make me want to be young, though. I’m glad to have earned my age.”
Disney will release Indiana Jones 5 in theatres on June 30, 2023.
