James Mangold is in the enviable/untrustworthy position of being the first person not named Steven Spielberg to direct Ford as Indiana Jones in a feature film. After the overwhelming disappointment with “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull”, it’s hard not to temper your expectations for the upcoming “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. But the first teaser hit the sweet spot And it gives some hope as adventurous archaeologists to know that this is the last tour of 80-year-old Ford. We wait for Indy and Ford to sway down.
Mangold has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars (Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, and others), so there shouldn’t be a scare factor here. But in an interview with The Hollywood ReporterHe said collaborating with Ford on the song Indy Swan had him fascinated by what he called the star’s “deep instincts” as a film actor.
According to Mangold:
“There’s so much more to the performance than just the reality, it’s also to adapt it to the framework and know what works. It was what I thought was most refreshing – and I can’t say I find it surprising because the structure of his work represents it. It’s so complete – he’s always trying to undermine the absurdity of the scene. Do you feel it? He’s looking for ways to make things more livable, screw up the wrong moments, and piss off his own character. I have a great understanding of how to be a hero while also undermining heroic tropes.”