Indiana Jones franchise ushers in female lead to replace Harrison Ford

On Friday, Disney released the trailer for the new film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, another entry in the beloved series that promises actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge will wow audiences with cinematic high adventure with an 80-year-old Indiana Jones in tow and that she will replace the hero at the story's end.

The Daily Mail first reported on the rumor that Phoebe Waller-Bridge was set to become the new Indiana Jones back in 2021. "Insiders claim Kathleen Kennedy, the Hollywood producer behind the franchise, is keen to make 'big, bold' changes – with few bigger than switching the lead character to a woman," the outlet reported.

On Twitter Jack Posobiec wrote, "So they're just re-using the Disney Star Wars plot for the new Indiana Jones where the classic lead character is replaced by a Mary Sue no one has ever heard of - wow how does Kathleen Kennedy do it!"

According to IMDB, this will be the first Indiana Jones film not directed by Steven Spielberg, but rather by James Mangold. 

Bounding into Comics reported that the film recently had test screenings and all of them ended with Waller-Bridge taking over for the adventurer. She is set to play Jones' goddaughter, Helena.

According to the outlet, "A new rumor claims that Indiana Jones 5 test screenings are abysmal and that Disney is in a panic over their poor ratings."

The director took to Twitter to deny that there were test screenings, much less that they were bad.

Reporting from the Sun also confirms insiders said there were test screenings and the producers are unsure what ending to use.

According to the Daily Mail, an unnamed Disney insider said, "A handful of different endings have been shot and are being shown to test audiences. In one, Indy dies but not before handing over his bullwhip to Phoebe’s character."

A few on social media poked fun at the film's title.

The film's opening sequence reportedly involves a de-aged Harrison Ford fighting the nazis in World War II. The plot of the film, according to co-screenwriter Jez Butterworth, skips ahead after the opening to 1969 where it involves the space race between the US and the Soviet Union.

While the new trailer mostly serves as a teaser for the new film, clips can be seen of the main character as well as Phoebe Waller-Bridge and fan-favorite Sallah, as played by John Rhys-Davies.

The trailer does showcase a de-aged Ford.

Producer Kathleen Kennedy, who was responsible for the Star Wars sequel trilogy, said what she is really excited about is a de-aged Harrison Ford. Cinemablend reports Kennedy said, "My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, ‘'Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago'." 

As the Guardian reports, the Star Wars sequel trilogy was a "galactic mess." The three films were not made with a unifying vision.

The Post Millennial Editor-in-Chief Libby Emmons speaking with Jack Posobiec said, "We degrade the feminine hero’s journey when we say that … they need to embark upon this male hero’s journey."