The upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie will be series star Harrison Ford's last in the series, director Steven Spielberg says. Speaking to The Sun, Spielberg said he is "pretty sure" that Ford will walk away after the next movie, though he expects the franchise to continue.

　　"This will be Harrison Ford's last Indiana Jones movie, I am pretty sure, but it will certainly continue after that," Spielberg said.

　　The fifth Indiana Jones movie was announced in 2016, at which time Lucasfilm confirmed that Ford and Spielberg were attached to star and direct, respectively. In September 2017, screenwriter David Koepp talked about how he and Spielberg were "mostly happy" with the current draft, and that the film will follow "some precious artifact that they're all looking for." He also confirmed that Indy's son Mutt, played by Shia LaBeouf in 2008's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, will not return for this latest film.

　　Back in March 2016, Ford spoke about why he was returning to the role of the iconic archeologist for the fifth time. "The opportunity to work with Steven again on this character which has brought pleasure to so many," he said. "Not to mention me. It's great fun to play this character. It's great fun to work with Steven, I'm looking forward to it."

　　Although Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was considered a disappointment by many fans, it still grossed more than $786 million worldwide. Altogether, the series has brought in nearly $2 billion at the global box office across all four releases.

　　Going back to The Sun's interview, Spielberg added that it is time now for Indiana Jones the character to take "a different form," and this could be with a woman in the lead role. "We'd have to change the name from Jones to Joan. And there would be nothing wrong with that," Spielberg said.

　　The Indiana Jones series premiered with 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was followed up by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).