Cannes 2023: ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ swings into action; Harrison Ford honoured before joyous festivalgoers

James Mangold, Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge at the Cannes Film Festival
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford swung into Cannes on Thursday for the world premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in one of the most anticipated events of the French Riviera festival.

Fedoras abounded in the throngs of onlookers who watched Ford and company hit the red carpet.

Ford walked hand in hand with his wife, Calista Flockhart, and later joined his cast mates as John Williams’ score played across the red carpet. Among those in attendance were Disney chief Bob Iger, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and filmmaker Steve McQueen.

Ford, 80, who has said Dial of Destiny will be his last performance as the character, also received an honourary Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. Last year, Cannes feted Top Gun Maverick and Tom Cruise in a similar manner. Inside the theatre, Ford was greeted with thunderous applause. He beamed and looked around the theatre before receiving the honourary Palme. “I’m very touched. I’m very moved by this. They say when you’re about to die, you, you see your life flash before your eyes. I just saw my life flash before my eyes,” Ford said after a clip reel of his career was played.

“A great part of my life, not all of my life,” Ford continued, thanking Flockhart as well as Dial of Destiny director James Mangold and co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

It’s not the first Indiana Jones film to premiere in Cannes. The fourth instalment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull launched at the 2008 edition of the festival. Critics and fans alike dismissed Crystal Skull as a misjudged sequel, though it still made $790 million worldwide.

This time, Dial of Destiny is hoping to make a similar if not larger global impact without its famous filmmakers. The new film, which the Walt Disney Co. will release on June 30 in the U.S., is the first Indiana film not directed by Steven Spielberg or with a story credit to George Lucas. Instead, Mangold ( Ford vs. Ferrari, Logan) takes the reins for a film co-starring Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas and Mads Mikkelsen.