A new behind-the-scenes trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny highlights Harrison Ford’s commitment to doing stunts himself, even at 80 years old. With James Mangold taking over for Steven Spielberg as director, Ford’s fifth and final adventure in the Lucasfilm franchise finds his intrepid archaeologist teaming up with his goddaughter to find the eponymous artifact before it falls into the hands of Nazis. In addition to Ford, the cast also features Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen as the main villain.
Today, ahead of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s release date on June 30, Lucasfilm released a new behind-the-scenes trailer for the film highlighting Harrison Ford’s commitment to doing his own stunts. Check it out below:
The featurette begins with Mangold and producer Kathleen Kennedy praising Ford’s commitment to doing stunts himself, even when it hurts. The Oscar-nominated director goes on to explain how action is an essential element of the Indiana Jones franchise and how their goal with Dial of Destiny was to do as much as they could for real, including Harrison Ford riding on horseback.
Indiana Jones 5’s Emphasis On Practical Effects Explained
Since early on in pre-production, Mangold prioritized the use of practical effects and insisted The Volume virtual filming technology utilized on other Lucasfilm franchises like Stars Wars not be used for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This ensured that Ford’s final adventure as the archaeologist had the feeling of a classic serial adventure similar to the original Indiana Jones trilogy, which was released from 1981 to 1989 and heavily relied on practical effects out of necessity. The last installment, 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was criticized for its blatant overuse use of CGI.
Ford’s insistence on doing his own stunts has also resulted in many injuries, including tearing his ACL during Raiders of the Lost Ark and suffering a spinal injury from riding elephants in Temple of Doom. At 80 years old, Ford injured his shoulder while filming a fight scene for Dial of Destiny, which caused the entire shooting schedule to be adjusted. While it always ensures great results on screen, Ford’s commitment to doing his own stunts has been exhausting for the actor, which is part of the reason he’s hanging it up after Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
