Whether or not the world needs another Indiana Jones sequel is up for debate, but regardless, we’re getting one in the near future. Long expected to be the final installment, wrapping up star Harrison Ford’s turn as the title archeologist, there was never any doubt that director Steven Spielberg would be at the helm. Well, that changed this week, as reports have indicated that he won’t be directing Indiana Jones 5 (or whatever it ends up being called). Rather than leading to a search for a replacement, which could have jeopardized the starting date, the powers that be, Spielberg likely included, have come up with their first choice to take over behind the camera, and it’s James Mangold. For those unaware, Mangold is most recently the director of the Academy Award winner Ford v Ferrari, which took home two tech category Oscars, in addition to being nominated in Best Picture. Prior to that, he’s been behind the camera for such diverse works as Logan (scoring a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination in the process), Cop Land, 3:10 to Yuma, and Walk the Line, just to name a few. His varied resume is quite fitting for an adventure film like Indiana Jones. His experience with high octane titles, working with A-list actors, and a healthy reverence for classic cinema puts him in an excellent position to succeed here. If this comes to pass, we could also be seeing the first stage in the series evolving. Ford is likely only here for this next movie, so whether the character is rebooted or not, change is coming. Mangold may well be the one to shepherd the title into the future. This will be a huge step up in scale for him, but there’s no reason to doubt his ability to excel. Time will tell if Mangold officially comes on as director and if the movie doesn’t push off of its 2021 release date, but this is the first sign that there’s at least an effort to go in a new direction. Mangold isn’t Spielberg, but he certainly has the chops to take the franchise back to its heights… -Stay tuned for more on Indiana Jones 5 when we have it!