Speculation: Did Disney Finally Secure ‘Indiana Jones’ for Disney+?

We have reason to believe that Disney+ subscribers might be seeing the films of the Indiana Jones franchise in the near future.

On June 2, 2022, this reporter discovered that all four Indy movies–Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull–were listed under the “Enjoy Before They’re Gone” category of its current streaming platform, Paramount+, meaning that the movies will be off the platform. It is unclear where they are going, but this reporter speculates that Disney+ could be their next destination.

While The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm, the studio responsible for creating Harrison Ford’s archeologist anti-hero, Paramount retained the distribution rights to the series and will, reportedly, retain the distribution rights to the fifth installment currently in production. But could all that be about to change?

At Disney’s Q2 earnings call, we reported that Disney CEO Bob Chapek disclosed that the company spent $1 billion on canceling pre-established licensing agreements with a single other entity.

Disney said it was “for the amount due to a customer to early terminate license agreements for film and television content delivered in previous years in order for the Company to use the content primarily on our direct-to-consumer services.”

Chapek failed to mention who the other party was in the massive payout. Immediate assumptions fell on Netflix as Disney had just ripped several Marvel franchises from its library. But are Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones, and other series at risk of being retconned by the MCU really worth $1 billion compared to one of the biggest action-hero franchises in the world?

This reporter speculates that the billion-dollar tab was for the latter, and we could be hearing an announcement about Indiana Jones coming to Disney+ by or during The Walt Disney Company’s Q3 earnings webcast.

Due to a slew of controversies (which supposedly sparked a massive drop in Disney+ subscriptions) and an outrageous stock price dive breaking out in the last week and the first half of the third fiscal quarter, it would make sense for Chapek and the rest of Disney to keep this news under their hat, for now, to ensure that some good domestic Disney+ news to report when the time comes.

Related: Teaser Image For ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Is Released

It should be mentioned that it was around this time last year that Paramount decided to move all four Indiana Jones movies from Paramount+ to Showtime. So, we could be seeing that change once again. Disney’s wording of the $1 billion could also suggest that it is content that Disney already owns the rights to, which would exempt Indy. But there is no confirmation or denial either way at this time.

It should also be mentioned that this article is pure speculation. There is no word from Disney, Lucasfilm, or Paramount that such an arrangement has been made. Until there is, we at Disney Fanatic will continue to monitor the story and will update our readers as any official information comes to light.

Indiana Jones 5 is tentatively scheduled to be released in the summer of 2023.