LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Arguably the greatest director of the last few decades, Steven Spielberg's unparalleled genius may never be matched. One of his most iconic hits, 'Indiana Jones' is ready to make a comeback with its fifth iteration, and many are still wondering why Spielberg withdrew himself after directing the first four installments of the Harrison Ford franchise. The beloved character that Spielberg helped eternalize has already made an indelible mark in popular culture.

James Mangold of ‘Ford v Ferrari’ fame has directed ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, which Spielberg holds in high regard. The last Indiana Jones feature, ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, wasn’t a great return for the character but had the Spielberg touch to turn it into a blockbuster. But with ‘Dial of Destiny', Spielberg decided to pass the baton to the next generation. But what stopped Spielberg from directing the fifth movie? Was he not considered the likely candidate to end the franchise on a winning note?

Steven Spielberg was the first choice

Spielberg and George Lucas had earlier landed on a concept for the fifth Indiana Jones film but Lucasfilm was then absorbed by Disney and Lucas lost control of the franchise. It wasn’t until 2016 that Disney gave the green light to 'Dial of Destiny' with Steven Spielberg as the leading choice to direct the film once again. Even though Spielberg was working on ‘The Post’ and ‘Ready Player One', he was adamant and prepared to direct the fifth Indiana Jones film.

His love for the franchise that he helped build was evident but in 2020, Spielberg decided to step down from his directing duties, paving the way for James Mangold to take charge. When asked about his decision, Spielberg said that it was his “desire to pass along Indy’s whip to a new generation to bring their perspective to the story.” However, the tectonic shift made fans of the franchise, who were not entirely sold on this idea, squirm in unease. Nevertheless, Spielberg decided to hold onto his role as the executive producer and let go of the franchise that he helped create.

Indiana Jones was Spielberg’s exception

The 76-year-old filmmaker has created franchises out of ‘Jaws’ and ‘Jurassic Park’, with both of them raking in billions of dollars in revenues for the studio. But with both of these franchises, Spielberg allowed others to take creative control with subsequent films but with Indiana Jones, he held control for over 40 years. It would have been extremely painful for Spielberg to give it up but given his cinematic journey, it was expected of the legend to allow the future to take over.

'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' hits theatres in the US on June 30, 2023.