Next Indiana Jones Movie Will Explain What Happened To Shia Labeouf's Character

Among the many questions swirling around Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is whether it will touch on Shia LaBeouf's character Mutt, introduced in 2008's divisive Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In a new EW interview, director James Mangold promises audiences will "find out what happened" to him.

Mangold further confirmed that LaBeouf will not appear in the film, something that most likely both the actor and audiences are just fine with. In a 2010 Los Angeles Times profile, LaBeouf says he not only "dropped the ball" when stepping into the franchise, but he felt he "botched" the film. At the time, Mutt--a young, motorcycle-riding greaser and Indy's sidekick and son--was introduced to potentially continue the franchise.

Though, to be fair, Mutt was only one of many problems audiences had with Crystal Skull. In the 2010 profile, LaBeouf shares that he had "major discussions" with Harrison Ford, and he "wasn't happy with it… there was a reason it wasn't universally accepted." So, maybe the character will be given a grace note in Dial of Destiny.

Indiana Jones 5 will open in theaters starting June 30, 2023. The Dial Of Destiny is the first Indiana Jones movie not directed by Steven Spielberg, and also the first in the franchise without a story written by George Lucas. Spielberg serves as a producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel. The movie's first hotly-anticipated trailer was released earlier this month.