The Daily Mail published photographs from the set of the film, which show Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is believed to play Dr. Jones’ assistant, hauling Ford’s Indiana out of a ditch before falling with him in the mud. The photographs also show what appear to be Roman gladiators in a boat, replete with historically correct swords, shields, and helmets. The latter images, in particular, have fans speculating if Indiana Jones 5 will incorporate time travel to the franchise.

The Indiana Jones film series has a lengthy history of incorporating fanciful elements into its narratives. The first film in the franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, included the supernatural in the form of the Covenant’s lost Ark. The sequel to Raiders, Temple of Doom, was based on dark magic and ritualistic sacrifice. Furthermore, the most recent installment in the series, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, famously included aliens in the narrative. Given all of this, it appears that the fantasy part of the Indiana Jones 5 narrative may entail time travel.

Photos of Ford with dots on his face have been making the rounds on the internet in recent months. These images imply that de-aging technology will be used in the next film, fueling the flames of time travel speculations even more. Of course, the technology may only be used in a few flashback sequences, but who’s to say there aren’t bigger ideas in the works?

While the set photographs most certainly hint at story aspects for the film, they don’t necessarily imply that the entire film will focus around time travel. However, given that Indiana Jones 5 is set in the 1960s, time travel is the only narrative component that makes sense if both Nazis and Roman gladiators appear in the final film.

Aside from time-travel speculations, Indiana Jones 5 is said to put Ford’s hero against a former Nazi scientist (Mads Mikkelsen) who is now working for NASA as a consequence of the real-life covert intelligence operation known as Operation Paperclip. James Mangold, the director of Logan and Ford v. Ferrari, is co-writing and directing the film, making it the first film in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg (who is still involved as an executive producer).

Harrison Ford will reprise his renowned role in Indiana Jones 5, and he will be joined by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, and Shaunette Renée Wilson. The film is set to be released in theaters on July 29, 2022.