Indiana Jones 5 Director Defends a Major Character’s Off-Screen Death

Posted in: Disney, Movies | Tagged: disney, film, indiana jones, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, james mangold

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold is sharing his thoughts on why killing a major character off-screen was needed.

There have been plenty of instances where a franchise has killed off main characters without any signs of hesitation just to explain an absence from a film. And generally, it’s not a very effective way to get audiences as invested in characters as they should be.

Unfortunately, in the new installment of Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), fans experienced that exact fate for a former character who was once important to the franchise. With the film out now, its director is shedding light on the bold choice while also doubling down on why it felt like essential storytelling.

The Character Death We Didn’t Expect from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

When talking to Variety, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold explains the shocking choice behind Shia LaBeouf’s off-screen death for his character Mutt, telling the publication, “That seemed to me to be right emotionally. That a disillusioned hero could end up at this wonderful, tumultuous moment in world history and — with his son gone and his wife gone — that he’d picture himself staying in the place he loves best, which is this imagining [of] these worlds. It’s separate from all past studio, political intrigue on movies I didn’t make.”

Mangold then chooses to elaborate on how it’s ultimately essential to the story, explaining, “You were either going to make a movie all about the two of them, or you’re going to have to find a way to not have [Mutt] around, because he was too significant a player in the previous film to just pretend he didn’t exist. I didn’t think his whole thing worked that well in the previous film. I just went towards something else because it was what was more interesting to me.”

After an off-screen death in Transformers and his recent reveal in Indiana Jones, this is becoming a bit of a theme, right?

Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is out now.

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