PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE JOINING INDIANA JONES 5

Why the Fleabag star is a perfect fit for Indy’s next adventure.

After 13 years in development hell, earlier this month the untitled fifth Indiana Jones film took a big step towards reality. Not only was it announced that John Williams will return to score Indy’s latest outing for director James Mangold, who replaced Steven Spielberg last May, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge will star alongside Harrison Ford and the recently announced Mads Mikkelsen. They have chosen… wisely.

Waller-Bridge has form acting opposite iconic Ford characters; she played droid L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars story, albeit alongside Alden Ehrenreich as a younger, scruffier-looking nerf herder. Though character details have not been shared at the time of press, it’s perhaps safe to assume that Indy 5 won’t see Waller-Bridge sporting a mo-cap onesie for her second Lucasfilm project.

After the nadir of Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, and the ill-fated attempt to establish Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt Williams as some kind of Indy replacement, Waller-Bridge’s casting is a step in the right direction. The Indy films are at their best (ie. Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Last Crusade) when Ford has an on-screen foil with mordant wit to match his boundless charisma and inimitable physicality. Karen Allen and Sean Connery had the right stuff, and Mangold believes Waller-Bridge does too, calling her “a dazzling actor, brilliant creative voice”.

Despite a concrete release date of 29 July 2022, the script is still being polished by Mangold and his Le Mans ’66 scribes Jez and John-Henry Butterworth ahead of production. Waller-Bridge has been heralded above all for her voice as a writer, most recently drafted in by Daniel Craig to punch up the 25th Bond film No Time To Die. While not officially involved on the scripting side, it’s easy to imagine Waller-Bridge bringing more to the film than a simple actor for hire might.

Just five years on from Fleabag’s TV debut, Waller-Bridge’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Smaller screen appearances followed her award-winning comedy, including Goodbye Christopher Robin and short-lived HBO series Run (which she also produced), but Indy 5 will be Waller-Bridge’s first major role since her encounter with a hot priest in 2019. Even more fortune and glory awaits. JF

‘INDY IS AT ITS BEST WHEN FORD HAS A FOIL TO MATCH HIS CHARISMA’