Disney Quietly Scraps Two Mysterious TV Projects Fans Never Knew Existed

Well, the Indiana Jones franchise is having a rough go of it these days. In news that probably won’t shock anyone who watched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny underwhelm at the box office, Disney has yanked the plug on a couple of 'secret' TV projects over at Lucasfilm. And I do mean secret—these weren’t the kind of spin-offs you saw hyped in big press releases. They basically never saw the light of day before getting mothballed.

The Unannounced Indy Projects That Weren’t

Here’s the gist: Lucasfilm was quietly working up two different Indiana Jones series, apparently hoping to keep the franchise alive between movie outings, kind of like what they did with Star Wars.

• Animated Series ('Reggie'): This one was going to be an animated show, codenamed 'Reggie' (a nod to the snake from Raiders of the Lost Ark—Indy fans, you get it). Rodrigo Blaas, who worked on Star Wars: Visions, was leading the charge. The plan? Follow Indy on adventures set between the main films, basically trying for that connective tissue vibe that made The Clone Wars so vital for Star Wars diehards.
• Live-Action Prequel With Abner Ravenwood: The second project was a live-action prequel series centered on Abner Ravenwood. If you’re going, 'Wait, who?', you’re not alone—Abner is Indy’s mentor and Marion’s father, mentioned but never seen in Raiders. This prequel was cooking back in 2022, aiming to flesh out a character the movies barely acknowledged.

Why Both Got Tossed

Nobody from Disney or Lucasfilm gave an official reason for axing these shows. But do the math: Dial of Destiny was a pretty expensive disappointment, costing around $352 million and pulling in just $384 million globally. That might sound like a lot, but in Hollywood accounting, those numbers actually make studio accountants cry. The poor showing seems to have spooked everyone away from investing even more in Indiana Jones—at least for now.

Who’s Steering the Ship Now?

Lucasfilm’s big creative shake-up is also part of the story. Kathleen Kennedy is on her way out, with Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan stepping up as co-heads. As for whether Indy will ever swing a whip on our screens again, here’s a straight-from-the-source quote from Kennedy to Deadline:

'I don’t think Indy will ever be done, but I don’t think anybody is interested right now in exploring it. But these are timeless movies, and Indy will never be done … So we get to say whether there’s going to be any more, or not.'

What does that mean in practice? Translation: Indiana Jones is shelved, not buried, but don’t hold your breath for new stuff—at least while Lucasfilm figures out what (if anything) to do with the character.

Playing it Safe for Now

Long story short, Disney and Lucasfilm are putting Indiana Jones in their 'wait and see' pile. With new leadership and a big expensive flop still looming in the rearview mirror, they’re probably wise to hit pause instead of throwing more money at half-baked spin-offs. Whether Indy makes a comeback on screen—big or small—that’s anyone’s guess.