Why Chris Pratt Should NOT Be Indiana Jones

Chris Pratt as Indiana Jones? Not in my book!

News is circulating the internet that Disney has their eyes on Chris Pratt as the next Indiana Jones. While it’s true that his Guardians of the Galaxy swagger could revitalize the role, I’m not so sure if casting him is the best choice. Here are a few reasons why.

Too Many Prominent Roles Too Soon

Right now Chris Pratt is young in his career but with the TBA on “Indiana Jones,” he should be quite the star by that time. While the TV watching crowd may know him for his role as Andy Dwyer on “Parks and Recreation,” most of the world knows him for his role as Peter Quill in Marvel‘s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” If that doesn’t build a visual of him then maybe his auditory familiarity from “The Lego Movie” will be something that resonates with many family moviegoers.

With this already established repertoire of films, he has a an upcoming adventure style role in Jurassic World coming later this year. Out of all of Chris Pratt’s roles, I think that this role would be the role that most defines his ability to play Dr. Indiana Jones. This could define the way he will play the archaeological adventurer and if it seems too similar, audiences could build a preconceived notion of how he should or should not play Indiana Jones. Any type of preconception is bad when it comes to iconic characters and while “Jurassic World” may be the only prominent film he’s confirmed for now, he’s currently a hot actor that everyone wants. I’m not saying that this will define his performance but if Pratt gets sucked into too many prominent roles too soon, then it could dampen his appeal. We all saw what happened to Johnny Depp after repeated “Pirates of the Carribean” films.

His Comedic Side Could Ruin Indiana Jones

I’m not saying that Chris Pratt is all comedy, in fact I think he has a lot of untapped potential. But given the success of “Guardians of the Galaxy” the studios may think that audiences will want that Chris Pratt goofy snark. Harrison Ford may have had his laugh or two as Indiana Jones but it was more based on situational humor. Ford is actually a very serious and suave actor so the Indiana Jones legacy that he has built could be challenged depending on the Pratt that Disney wants. In the end if Disney wants the comedic Pratt, it will be on them not Pratt, but it could ruin an iconic character. Look at what happened to “Green Lantern” when they wanted the typical Ryan Reynolds.

He’s Already Playing a Recurring Superhero

Okay so Indiana Jones may not be a superhero by definition but he has the same impact. Just like James Bond he always seems to come out on top and kids want to be him…so yeah…I’d call him a superhero.

After establishing that point, here’s the next reason against Pratt as Indiana Jones. He’s already Star Lord and will continue to be the character in future films. Sure there have been other actors that have played two superheroes but not concurrently. Usually there’s enough time to let audiences forget the character they previously played before hoping back in the super chair, but this would be a first with Pratt.

Given Marvel’s Phase 3 Calendar, we know that Pratt is expected to reprise his role in a sequel to “Guardians of the Galaxy” and possibly be involved in other Marvel films. In my opinion, this doesn’t give audiences a breather in between characters and I’m expecting that Disney will jump on the next “Indiana Jones” film fairly soon.

Final Thoughts

I want to reiterate that I don’t have anything against Chris Pratt, I actually like him a lot. I think he has the look for Indiana Jones and in a perfect setting, he could do well. Unfortunately there are a lot of obstacles that could be problematic for the film and fans of the character. I think he has a big career ahead of him, I just don’t want to see it collapse too soon. And if I’m wrong and he’s a great Indiana Jones, then I’ll be the first to say it with a smile!

Do you agree or disagree?