It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.
Well, a lot of that mileage is about to be VFXed out. That’s the logical conclusion of what to glean from a new batch of set photos for Indiana Jones 5. (See full photo gallery below.)
On the day of the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a fresh collection of images from the shoot of Indy 5 hit the internet. One photo in particular caught everyone’s eye: a shot of Harrison Ford with co-star Toby Jones in which there are small black dots on Ford’s face. In addition, there are white dots on the collar of his costume.
What do those dots mean? Those are “tracking dots,” i.e. simple markers that are placed on an actor to allow visual effects artists to work their magic later on in post-production. Specifically, tracking dots are used to guide a VFX technician as he or she alters the visual appearance of a subject.
In this case, the obvious conclusion is that these dots will be used to de-age Harrison Ford in order to make him appear to be the age of Indiana Jones during the reign of the Third Reich in the 1930s and 40s. Confirming this: previous set photos that have revealed numerous Nazi era vehicles, as well as a stuntman wearing a mask of Harrison Ford that replicates his age range of late 30s to early 40s.
Also of note: the object that actor Toby Jones is holding in his hand. While hard to make out, it would appear that it is a prop for some important artifact. In the photo gallery below, you can see a 4-image collage of the prop in close-up.
Currently shooting on location at a castle in the United Kingdom, the production for the untitled Indy 5 has just begun and will continue throughout the summer (and likely into fall). Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by James Mangold (Ford V Ferrari, Logan), Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled to open next summer on July 29, 2022.
Click on any image for larger gallery
