When Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull arrived as a belated sequel to the iconic Indiana Jones trilogy, it brought with it a number of controversial issues. From the inclusion of aliens to Harrison Ford’s advancing years, there were plenty of things for fans of the franchise to focus on when it came to negativity around the movie. However, one inclusion that caused more division than most was Shia LaBeouf’s appearance as Mutt Williams, who will not be back for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Mutt Williams was the son of Ford’s Indy and original Raiders of the Lost Ark love interest Marion Ravenwood, but even though the character and choice of actor were both from director Steven Spielberg, neither was a hit with fans of the franchise. While there are plenty of suggestions that Karen Allen will reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Shia LaBeouf will not be back for Harrison Ford’s final Indy outing. However, it seems that the character’s absence will be noted in the sequel. Director James Mangold told Entertainment Weekly:
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“LaBeouf and his character will not be in Dial of Destiny but we will find out what happened to him.”
Why Has Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt Not Returned For Indiana Jones 5?
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The simple fact that the character of Mutt Williams was badly received in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is probably the biggest factor him being omitted from the franchise finale. While there are times when a disliked character is brought back to a franchise, there is plenty going on in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to allow Mutt to be dropped with probably just a passing mention. The gap between the two movies is another factor that will probably help to explain the character moving on, especially when Mutt and Indy were estranged before the events of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Away from the story itself, LaBeouf has not had the best of publicity in recent years. Between allegations of assault brought against him by former girlfriend FKA Twigs, fabrication of claims about his father being violent towards him, and reports of volatile behavior on the set of a number of movies, there are many personal reasons why LaBeouf was not seemingly approached to reprise his role in Indiana Jones 5.
While LaBeouf’s Mutt is definitely out of the movie, one popular legacy character who is returning is John Rhys-Davies’ Sallah, who has been a friend to Indy since Raiders of the Lost Ark and seems to be the one who will bring the aging adventurer into his final quest. One thing that is clear is that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny doesn’t appear to rely too heavily on the franchise’s past, and is more about telling a new story that will complete Indy’s story in an action packed finale. The movie will make its debut in cinemas on June 30, 2023.
