The Compelling Reason Chris Pratt Won't Be Playing Indiana Jones Any Time Soon

It appears that everyone wants Chris Pratt to play Indiana Jones, except for ... Chris Pratt. For years now, rumors and reports have swirled about the "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jurassic World" star possibly taking over the mantle of Dr. Jones once Harrison Ford finally lays down his hat and whip for good. But in a new interview, Pratt has revealed that he actually wants nothing to do with the iconic role, and he has a pretty valid reason why.

Back in January 2021, media sources claimed that Pratt had been pegged to replace Ford in the next "Indiana Jones" movie and any future projects to come (via Comic Book). It was believed that Ford would come back and "Indiana Jones 5" and ultimately set up multiple spin-off films, which would see Pratt in the titular role. In fact, back in 2015, Deadline reported that Steven Spielberg himself was interested in having Pratt star in an "Indiana Jones" reboot that he would direct. But several different people close to the "Indiana Jones" franchise, including producer Frank Marshall, have insisted that the rumors and reports hold no water. "There will only be one Indiana Jones and that's Harrison Ford," Marshall told Den of Geek in December 2020. 

To make matters worse, Spielberg is not even directing "Indiana Jones 5" anymore, so the chances of a Pratt takeover are looking very slim at the moment. However, even if Spielberg was directing, the former "Parks and Recreation" star told the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast in a new interview that there's no chance whatsoever that he'd play Indy. And his reason why is pretty hilarious. 

According to Chris Pratt, there's no way on Earth he could play Indiana Jones because he simply respects Harrison Ford too much — and is flat-out terrified of him. The actor cited a 2019 interview that Ford famously gave, in which the "Star Wars" legend firmly stated that no other Hollywood soul should ever touch the role of Dr. Jones, not even Pratt. "I once saw a quote from Harrison Ford and I don't even know if it was really him but it was enough to scare me, but he was like, 'When I die, Indiana Jones dies,'" said Pratt on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast. "And I'm like, am I gonna get haunted by the ghost of Harrison Ford one day when he dies if I play [Indy]?"

Interestingly, "Happy Sad Confused" host Josh Horowitz also took to Twitter to share a clip of his conversation with Pratt on the podcast, speculating that based on the actor's body language, it's possible he spoke to Steven Spielberg about the possibility of stepping into Ford's shoes. 

Ford was making an appearance on "The Today Show" when he talked about not wanting anyone to play Jones once he's finally done with the role. "Nobody," Ford firmly stated, smiling. "I'm Indiana Jones. When I'm gone, he's gone. It's easy." Ford added, "This is a hell of a way to tell Chris Pine," presumably referring to Pratt on account of all the rumors (via Esquire). "I'm sorry, man."