"I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this," he said. "But I have an idea to make Shia [LaBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out."

"And it’s not like Harrison is even old. I mean, he’s 65 and he did everything in this movie. The old chemistry is there, and it’s not like he’s an old man. He’s incredibly agile; he looks even better than he did 20 years ago, if you ask me."

MTV already went looking for reactions to this idea of Ford being reduced to a sidekick in the Indiana Jones 5, and returns with responses by stars Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf themselves.

"I have no cheeky answer for [that]. I just work here. I'm glad to work here," Ford told MTV News at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday (May 16). "Till they tell me otherwise, I will continue to be Indiana Jones."

"I know Harrison would love to," LaBeouf countered, smiling. "I know that Harrison, when he's 80, will still be jacked. Is there going to be an 80-year-old Indiana Jones? No one can say never."

There's actually already been a 93-year-old Indiana Jones, portrayed by George Hall in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which ran on TV from 1992 to 1993. But while those episodes didn't have Harrison Ford (save for one) they still heavily centered on the character he helped create — he wasn't regulated to second-fiddle status.

For fans, then, the issue leading up to the release of Crystal Skull is whether or not Indy without Indy is still Indy — the reasonable assumption being that a Mutt film is only as strong as Mutt himself.

Is Mutt a good enough character to take center stage? LaBeouf said it's up to the fans, who will ultimately choose the fate of Indiana Jones with their reception of Crystal Skull. Choose ... wisely.

"Mutt's pretty wild [but] it's all about what the public feels," LaBeouf said. "I know if it's received well, that's a pretty definite indicator. If it's received well, I don't imagine they would stop making them."

"I don't think a Mutt spin-off would be as big as Indiana Jones," he added, coyly. "[But] fingers crossed!"

Read the full Indy sequels article at MTV.com.

And be sure to check out the five fun MTV Rough Cut: Shia LaBeouf interviews as well!

Thanks to Sam Stewart, Jeff Roberts for the article links.

Posted by Gilles V