Image via Lucasfilm.

In case you were wondering whether Shia LaBeouf would be returning for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, director James Mangold is now setting the record straight with an explanation about why he chose not to invite the actor back to the franchise. 

In an interview on the red carpet, Variety posed the question to Mangold about whether he ever considered bringing back LeBeouf, who played the son of Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones in the past. Mangold said it was always his goal from the beginning to bring back the “energy between Indy and an intrepid female character […] There’s only so many people you can edge into a picture.”

Indeed, Dial of Destiny won’t feature LaBeouf’s character, Mutt Williams, who appeared in 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Instead, Indy’s sidekick in this latest adventure will be his own goddaughter, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Helena Shaw. 

Even though Mutt won’t be appearing in the film, Mangold said in a previous interview that audiences would learn about where he is and “what happened to him,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

In the years since Crystal Skull, LaBeouf has been embroiled in a number of controversies, including getting arrested multiple times and being accused by his ex-girlfriend, musician FKA Twigs, of domestic abuse. However, even if LaBeouf’s reputation were intact, it’s doubtful he would’ve received the call back for Dial of Destiny, due to his character’s association with Crystal Skull, a film that is not highly regarded by critics or fans of the franchise.  

Indiana Jones will commence his final adventure when Dial of Destiny comes to theaters on June 30.

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About the author

Danny Peterson

Danny Peterson

Danny Peterson covers entertainment news for WGTC and has previously enjoyed writing about housing, homelessness, the coronavirus pandemic, historic 2020 Oregon wildfires, and racial justice protests. Originally from Juneau, Alaska, Danny received his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Alaska Southeast and a Master’s in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Oregon. He has written for The Portland Observer, worked as a digital enterprise reporter at KOIN 6 News, and is the co-producer of the award-winning documentary ‘Escape from Eagle Creek.’