Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold debunks another Dial of Destiny rumor

Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones 5
(Image credit: Disney)

Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold has debunked another rumor about Dial of Destiny – this time about the movie's ending. 

The upcoming film will mark the fifth and final time Harrison Ford will play his iconic role. The plot is shrouded in mystery, which means rumors about the future of the franchise and the events of the film are everywhere. 

"So I took a b-day break from trolls," Mangold wrote on Twitter. "But it seems I gotta once again say. We're not shooting and never shot any new scenes or 'alt endings'. Our film is 99% finished, getting rated by MPAA & VFX being completed. Happy Holidays!"

This latest round of speculation appears to have been sparked by a comment from composer John Williams at a concert about "another ending" to the movie, but Mangold also clarified that confusion. "1) John was mistaken. Maybe read Twitter too much," he wrote. "2) We're not shooting new endings. Never did. The film is 99% finished & being rated by MPAA. 3) This imagined zany ending w/ Indy being erased & replaced is a fever dream of wounded folks angry about other films I did not make."

Mangold previously shot down a rumor that someone else would be replacing Ford's Indy in the film. "One more time. No one is 'taking over' or replacing Indy or donning his hat nor is he being 'erased' thru some contrivance – and he never was, not in any cut or script – but trolls will troll – that's how they get their clicks," he said. 

A pervasive fan theory that hasn't yet been shut down, though, is that the film will feature time travel. The first trailer for the film showcases some seriously impressive de-aging on Ford's Indy, and the mysterious "Dial of Destiny" could be some kind of time travel device. For now, though, we'll just have to wait and see if that theory proves correct. 

Indiana Jones 5 arrives on June 30, 2023. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the other upcoming major movie release dates for everything else to get excited about. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

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