Is 'Indiana Jones 5' Set In 1960s New York?

James Mangold is taking over for Steven Spielberg on Indiana Jones 5, and Mangold recently tweeted out something that may indicate when and where the next Indy adventure is set: 1960s New York. Indiana Jones is a globe-trotting series, so it's highly unlikely the entire film would be set in the Big Apple. But there's a good chance '60s NYC plays a part in the next adventure of Indiana Jones.

Last week, James Mangold fired off the following tweet:

As you can see, Mangold says that "all the movies" he's working on right now take place in 1960's New York. Mangold has at least five announced films in the works: The Force, an adaptation of the Don Winslow novel about crooked cops; Juliet, "a romantic drama in which a young woman learns she may be related to the people who inspired one of the most tragic love stories of all time;" Crenshaw, about "a boy whose family has fallen on hard times is visited by his imaginary friend, a giant cat named Crenshaw;" Going Electric, a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet; and of course, Indiana Jones 5.

Now, here's where things get a little slippery. The Force novel is not set in 1960s New York. And neither are the source materials for Crenshaw and Juliet. It's possible Mangold has changed their time and settings, it's possible he's not even really working on them right now, or it's possible that his tweet simply referred to NYC as the setting for these projects and the 1960s aspect only applies to some of them. Going Electric would certainly have to involve 1960s New York, since that's a big part of Bob Dylan's life and career.

With all that in mind, it certainly sounds like Mangold is hinting at Indiana Jones 5 at least partially taking place in New York. Which then begs the question: what is Indy doing in New York? Like I said above, even if the film does have some scenes in New York City it's hard to believe the entire movie is set there, although that certainly would be an interesting change of pace – sticking Indy in one American location rather than having him running all over the globe.

As for the time period, the 1960s certainly makes sense, since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was set in 1957. So what would Indy be dealing with in the '60s? If they want to stick to real-world events, the sky is the limit – they could throw in something about the Kennedy assassination, for instance. But that's just wild speculation – plus, I'm not sure what artifact Indy would be chasing under that scenario, or what it would have to do with New York City. In fact, you should probably forget I said anything. Maybe Indy is just cruising around New York looking for the best slice of pizza.

Indiana Jones 5 will reportedly be Harrison Ford's last outing as the whip-cracking hero, which is probably for the best at this point. That said, even though I like a lot of Mangold's work, I'll always be a little disappointed that Ford's final Indiana Jones adventure isn't going to be directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is still involved in the film as a hands-on producer, but an Indy movie without him behind the camera just won't feel the same. As of now, Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to arrive on July 29, 2022.