George Lucas Isn't Involved With Indiana Jones 5

George Lucas isn't involved with the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie so far, Collider reports. George Lucas was the co-creator and writer of the first three Indiana Jones films. However, according to Indiana Jones 5 screenwriter David Koepp, he won't be involved in the latest movie.

When asked about whether Lucas was involved, Koepp stated, "He's not, to my knowledge. I've had no contact with him." This marks a first for the Indiana Jones franchise. Lucas was involved in the last film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as writer and executive producer. His insistance that the movie involve aliens despite resistance from Harrison Ford and Steven Speilberg was a big reason the film took so long to make.

Koepp said he learned a lot of lessons while working on Crystal Skull that he will be applying to the new film. He said there will be a big focus on the artifact Indy is setting out to find. "I think that what [Indy] looks for and when he looks for it dictates what the movie's gonna be. So the selection of the MacGuffin is everything. I think Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, being set in 1957 there was a conscious desire to say, ‘Much like two of the other ones were World War II movies set in the 30s and early 40s, this is '57 so a lot of our influences are gonna be science-fiction movies."

Koepp went on to say that in regards to the aliens, "I don't know that the idea was most suited to an Indiana Jones movie, but that was what we did. So we tried to be very careful with the selection of the MacGuffin and the eras to give ourselves as much latitude to make the best kind of Indiana Jones movie that we most want to see. Learning how that's the importance of the choice of the MacGuffin is a big deal."

Koepp went on to say he was "deeply immersed" in writing the story. He said he was unsure of when filming for the movie with Spielberg would start, but hoped for a October 2017 start date. The movie will premiere on July 19. 2019.

Though it's a shame Lucas is not involved, it sounds like it might help production go a little smoother. What do you think? Is Lucas's lack of involvement good or bad?

Read: Indiana Jones Movie Universe May Be in The Works

Read: What Steven Spielberg Won't Be Doing In Indiana Jones 5