Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg is set to film one last entry in the series with Harrison Ford, but he said the iconic character could be played by a woman after Ford hangs up the fedora.
In an interview published in the Sun Tuesday, Spielberg expressed his gratitude for the strong women in his life and described a possible new direction for the archaeologist hero. With Harrison Ford’s fifth and final time in the role to begin filming next year, Spielberg said the character could take a "different form" in the future.
"We’d have to change the name from Jones to Joan," he said about a potential female character. "And there would be nothing wrong with that."
Spielberg, whom the Sun describes as "a vocal champion of the Time’s Up campaign for gender equality," credited his mother and other women he has loved for his feminist views.
"My mom was strong," he said. "She had a voice, she had a very strong opinion."
"I have been very lucky to be influenced by women, several of whom I have just loved madly — my mom and my wife," he added.
Spielberg said he expects the next Indiana Jones movie to be Ford’s last—as 2016’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens was his last reprisal of Han Solo—but that the blockbuster series will continue.
"This will be Harrison Ford’s last Indiana Jones movie, I am pretty sure, but it will certainly continue after that," he said.
Other famous series have recently attempted reboots with actresses in leading roles previously played by men, including the 2016 film Ghostbusters and the latest version of the British science fiction show "Doctor Who."