R-Rated Indiana Jones Movie Officially Proposed By Rising Horror Director

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Curry Barker wants to kick Indiana Jones up a notch.

Following the character’s debut in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford returned to play the intrepid archeologist in four sequels, recently bidding farewell to the role in 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It remains unclear what’s next for the legendary adventurer, but all films thus far have not exceeded a PG-13 rating.

Curry Barker, director of this year’s horror hit Obsession, now tells Gold Derby that he can envision an R-rated Indiana Jones. Though the director doesn’t share specifics, he teases that his take would be “f–ked up” and boundary-pushing. Check out Barker’s full comment below:

“I would want to do a really f–ked up, rated-R version of Indiana Jones. I want to do a crazy adventure movie. That’s something that Cooper and I have talked about, because we feel like we’ve never seen something like that; we’ve only ever seen the family friendly version. But what happens if two regular guys, or one regular guy, goes on a journey that turns crazy? Literally pushing the boundaries of that genre would be fun for me.”

“I would want to do a really f–ked up, rated-R version of Indiana Jones. I want to do a crazy adventure movie. That’s something that Cooper and I have talked about, because we feel like we’ve never seen something like that; we’ve only ever seen the family friendly version. But what happens if two regular guys, or one regular guy, goes on a journey that turns crazy? Literally pushing the boundaries of that genre would be fun for me.”

When Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters, the PG-13 rating didn’t exist. It wasn’t until Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984 that the need for a rating between PG and R became clear. The film released as a PG title, but its dark subject matter and violence – including the infamous heart-ripping scene – led to the creation of PG-13.

• Image via Disney

• Image via Disney

All Indiana Jones movies since have been PG-13 and usually feature plenty of action, with only one or two moments of darker violence. The films are widely considered fun family-friendly adventures, making Barker’s pitch a major franchise departure.

That being said, a departure might be just what Indiana Jones needs. Dial of Destiny was met with a lukewarm response from critics and the film was a notable box office bomb, grossing just $384 million on a COVID-inflated budget estimated to be north of $400 million.

Considering Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) also fell flat with critics, Ford’s iconic character went out on a bit of a dour note. 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is widely considered the last truly “good” Indy film, and now could be the perfect time to revive the character in a new way.

Obsession reviews were glowing from critics and the film was a major box office hit. Made on a budget of less than $1 million, the R-rated horror movie grossed $524 million worldwide, a staggering result. Barker, then, could be an interesting filmmaker to push the Indiana Jones franchise in a new, darker direction. Though the filmmaker doesn’t specify, his take would presumably involve recasting the character with a younger actor, as Ford is now 84 years old.

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Making a twisted R-rated Indiana Jones, however, could be too much of a departure from what made that franchise so popular in the first place. Plus, with Disney now in control of the character and the franchise, a pivot into truly dark territory seems unlikely. After Dial of Destiny, Disney may want to keep Indy on ice for the foreseeable future.

Next up for Barker after Obsession‘s success is Anything but Ghosts, which hits theaters next year and stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Indiana Jones, but Barker evidently has thoughts about how to push the franchise into some uncharted territory.