Disney and Paramount Reach Deal On ‘Indiana Jones’ Distribution

After gaining ownership of the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise when it acquired Lucasfilm, Disney has now made a deal with Paramount Pictures to take over distribution rights for future films.

With the new deal, Paramount will maintain distribution rights over the first four ‘Indiana Jones’ films, and gain financial participation with Disney on any future Indy films, a similar deal Disney made with Paramount over the rights to 'The Avengers' and 'Iron Man 3'.

Since acquiring the rights to the Lucasfilm catalog for $4 billion, Disney has focused on a new 'Star Wars' film exclusively, not officially announcing another Indy film yet.  Rumor is Disney wants to see a return on their investment as quickly as possible, so 'Indiana Jones 5' doesn’t seem like a long shot.

While promoting his new film 'Paranoia', Harrison Ford said he’s very interested in another round as Indy.  Steven Spielberg has also expressed a desire for a new film, but would require a flushed out story before signing on.  And though he’s officially sold off his stake in the franchise, it’s expected that George Lucas would also be involved in the production of a new film.

Now being actively under the Disney banner, there’s a good chance we could see a resurgence for the adventuring archeologist, with the possibility of new films, television appearances, video games (which Indiana Jones hasn’t been very successful on), and more Disney park attractions (aside from the already established stunt show).

via Variety