Indiana Jones: Why Short Round Doesn't Show Up In Dial Of Destiny

"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" marks the archaeologist's fifth cinematic adventure. He's made plenty of stories over the years, with numerous sidekicks and partners by his side to help him track down rare artifacts. "Dial of Destiny" sees him team up with his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who comes back into his life after an absence. But a significant portion of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) fans are still wondering whatever happened to his faithful companion Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), introduced in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

Short Round is a fan-favorite character for his unabashed enthusiasm and ability to help Indy escape sticky situations. Seeing how "Dial of Destiny" is likely Harrison Ford's final outing as the legendary explorer, it wouldn't have been out of the question to bring back some familiar faces from his past. But alas, there's no Short Round in the latest film. 

Ke Huy Quan is riding a career-high at the moment after winning an Academy Award for his work in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." And director James Mangold sounded as though it might have been considered at one point but didn't work for the story they wanted to tell. Mangold told IGN, "If you notice... the only person we follow through the whole way is Indy himself. Joined by Helena [Shaw, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge], and I felt like we needed to have a female lead who challenged him. But we looked at all these different things and tried to figure out how they would work. I just didn't want another adult along for the ride." Short Round may not factor into "Dial of Destiny," but hopefully, Quan can return to this world somehow.

Short Round's absence in the "Indiana Jones" franchise since "Temple of Doom" isn't for lack of trying. Rumors suggest Steven Spielberg originally wanted a Short Round cameo in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." According to reports, Short Round was supposed to be an usher during Indy's wedding at the end of the film. The reports go on to mention how Short Round would've been his driver for one last time as they depart the chapel. Of course, this didn't materialize. The script underwent many changes from when this reported cameo was thought about, so Short Round remained in the wind.

However, anyone familiar with bonus "Indiana Jones" materials knows Short Round has stayed busy all these years. "The Lost Journey of Indiana Jones" reference book brings up Short Round, revealing how he also became an adventurer, with one of his greatest discoveries being The Peacock's Eye in 1957. Other Short Round adventures have materialized in comic books, including one where the sidekick accompanies Indy to Atlantis. 

There are many ways to bring Short Round back to a film or TV show, and fortunately, it sounds as though Ke Huy Quan is game for anything involving the character.

Ke Huy Quan has enjoyed great success in the aftermath of "Everything Everywhere All at Once." He appeared in a supporting role in "American Born Chinese" on Disney+, and he's going to show up in Season 2 of "Loki." It just so happens both of those shows come from Disney, which also owns the rights to the "Indiana Jones" series now, so it wouldn't be out of the question for a Short Round project to materialize at some point. 

Quan's even confirmed in interviews that he's 100% willing to return as Short Round. The actor confirmed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he's ready and able; he just needs that phone call: "If Disney or Lucasfilm ever come to me and say, 'We want to do a Short Round spinoff,' I'm there man!" The "Indiana Jones" franchise is too big of a property for Disney and Lucasfilm to hang up for good if Harrison Ford leaves. The series could easily continue with his goddaughter Helena Shaw in some capacity, and perhaps she could meet up with Indy's old acquaintance in the process. 

Disney's leaving money on the table to keep Short Round out of the series permanently, especially with Quan's newfound popularity. Whether it's a new movie or a show on Disney+, fans will likely take any kind of Short Round they can get. 

With a new "Indiana Jones" movie on the way and Ke Huy Quan's recent Oscar win, it only makes sense for the subject of Short Round to come up repeatedly in the lead-up to the film's release. Director James Mangold was asked about precisely that in an interview with Josh Horowitz of Happy Sad Confused. When asked if he ever thought about getting Quan in the movie, Mangold responded, "I was blown away by his work in 'Everything Everywhere.' But that movie was shooting when we were making our movie."

In addition to there being no room for Short Round in the story, it also sounds like the timing wouldn't have worked out regardless aside from perhaps a brief cameo. But Mangold went on to say how that's the worst kind of cameo, so he wasn't interested in doing it. Regardless, things worked out for Quan in the end with his Oscar-winning role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." And it opened up new avenues to introduce audiences to a new child star, namely Ethann Isidore as Teddy.

Never say never in Hollywood; Short Round could return to the big screen at some point. For now, audiences can look forward to "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" coming out in theaters on June 30.