David Koepp has confirmed that he is no longer involved in ‘Indiana Jones 5’.
The 57-year-old screenwriter had penned an early draft of the script from the project but has now revealed that he had dropped out of the flick featuring Harrison Ford’s iconic character.
When asked by Collider if he was still involved in the motion picture, David said: "Not anymore."
Koepp suggested that Steven Spielberg being replaced as director by James Mangold contributed to his decision, as he feels the ‘Logan’ filmmaker needs the opportunity to create his own story.
He explained: "James deserves a chance to take his shot at it.
"I’ve done several versions with Steven. And when Steven left, it seemed like the right time to let Jim have his own take on it and have his own person or himself write it."
‘Indiana Jones 5’ has undergone development hell with four separate release date delays but producer Frank Marshall believes that James is the ideal choice to take over from Spielberg as director.
When asked what made Mangold the right person for the movie, he explained: "His love of the franchise. He’s a wonderful filmmaker.
"I think he also has a relationship with Harrison Ford. It was all the right pieces coming together, at the right time."
The 73-year-old producer, who has worked on the four previous ‘Indiana Jones’ movies, also revealed that production wouldn’t begin on the flick anytime soon due to the coronavirus crisis.
Frank said: "The number one thing, obviously, is the safety of everybody – the cast, the crew, and all of us.
"So, we’re looking at the guidelines that are coming slowly, from the health experts and the studios and the different parts of the business, and we’re just trying to incorporate everything, so we can move forward and be safe.
"It’s going to obviously slow things down, so we’re trying to adjust. You won’t see a lot of big crowd scenes, for example, for awhile. There won’t be any more craft service, so maybe that’ll be good for people, in keeping more fit.
"It’s a moving target right now. There are a lot of people working on the solutions, to be able to work and be safe."