Phoebe Waller-Bridge Joins Harrison Ford In New Indiana Jones Movie

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has joined the cast of Indiana Jones 5.

The 35-year-old actress, writer, and producer — who is best known for creating the highly acclaimed shows Fleabag and Killing Eve, as well as contributing to the screenplay for the upcoming James Bond film No Time To Die — is set to star alongside Harrison Ford in the fifth instalment of the iconic franchise, Lucasfilm confirmed on Friday (Apr 9).

Harrison will be returning to his role as the legendary hero archaeologist, while Phoebe’s role is still currently unknown.

John Williams is also set to return to compose the music for the flick, but the movie will not be directed by Steven Spielberg, who will instead be taking on a producing role alongside Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

In place of Steven, the film is being helmed by James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari). "I’m thrilled to be starting a new adventure, collaborating with a dream team of all-time great filmmakers," Mangold said in a statement.

“Steven, Harrison, Kathy, Frank, and John are all artistic heroes of mine. When you add Phoebe, a dazzling actor, brilliant creative voice and the chemistry she will undoubtedly bring to our set, I can’t help but feel as lucky as Indiana Jones himself.”

Meanwhile, Harrison previously said he wouldn’t make another Indiana Jones movie unless he was sure the production team could “kill it”.

Citing the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he said: "I don't really want to give them what they wanna see, I want to give them something they didn't anticipate seeing.

"The Marvel movies are a spectacular example of a success that worked the other way round - they killed it.

"We're not going to make another Indiana Jones unless we're in a position to kill it. We want it to be the best."

Indiana Jones 5 was first announced in 2016 and originally scheduled to be released in July 2019. It was then pushed back a year, before being delayed for another 12 months until July 2021 after Jonathan Kasdan — whose father Lawrence Kasdan wrote 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark — was brought on board to work on the script after original screenwriter David Koepp departed the project.

Production on the sequel is expected to start this summer. Phoebe's casting marks a reunion between the multi-hyphenate and Lucasfilm; she voiced L3-37 in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The most recent film in the series was 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which earned over US$790.6 million (S$1.06 bil) at the global box office.— BANG SHOWBIZ