Harrison Fordis joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in what might be one of the biggest casting coups for the franchise so far.The Hot Micand/Filmis reporting that the iconic star ofIndiana JonesandStar Warshas been tapped by Marvel Studios PresidentKevin Feigeto take over the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, which was played byWilliam Hurtbefore the death of the actor earlier this year.
Ford will be cast as Ross for multiple films, with his debut reportedly set to come in the upcomingCaptain America: New World Orderbefore joining another ensemble cast. He will also appear in the team-up movieThunderboltswhich wasshown off at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The film is designed to be the finale to the MCU’s Phase 5, and the full cast was announced at the time. Ford will be joiningFlorence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah-John Kamen, Sebastian Stan, David HarbourandJulia Louis-Dreyfusin Marvel’s biggest team-up movie since Avengers: Endgame.
Ford, of course, has a long-standing relationship with Disney through his work on the Lucasfilms productions ofIndiana JonesandStar Wars.He made his return after 32 years to a galaxy far, far away inStar Wars: The Force Awakenshaving softened in his stance against the films that he had taken in the years immediately following his appearances in the original trilogy.Following the death of Carrie Fisher, he then made another appearance inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerin a cameo role. His most passionate role, however, has always been that of the daring and bold archaeologist, Indiana Jones. Ford isreprising the rolefor the final time in the fifth instalment, simply titledIndiana Joneswhich is scheduled for release next year.
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The role of Ross is not expected to be an overly physical one for Ford, who is now 80 years old. His role as Indiana Jones will be aided by de-aging technology, but his MCU character tends to oversee things from boardrooms, meaning his schedule should be light and manageable. It will be seen as a major success for Marvel and Feige to recruit Ford to the franchise, which has lacked some A-list starpower since the departures ofRobert Downey Jr.andChris EvansafterEndgame.
Captain America: New World Orderis set for release on June 09, 2025, and will be directed byJulius Onah,whileThunderboltsis scheduled to be released in theaters on August 06, 2025 and will be directed by Jake Schreier.
While we wait for more news, check out the trailer forBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverbelow:
