Steven Spielberg reacts to watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Steven Spielberg directing an Indiana Jones movie, but the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny helmed by James Mangold has gotten the stamp of approval from the man himself.

While speaking at the Time 100 Summit (via Variety), Steven Spielberg revealed that he’s already watched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and loved it. “I just had that experience two nights ago,” Spielberg said. “Bob Iger had a screening for a lot of the Disney executives, and I came to the screening along with the director James Mangold. Everybody loved the movie. It’s really, really a good ‘Indiana Jones’ film. I’m really proud of what Jim has done with it.” Spielberg added, “When the lights came up I just turned to the group and said, ‘Damn! I thought I was the only one who knew how to make one of these.“

Harrison Ford is also a fan of what they’ve done with the movie, saying it will end the franchise with a bang. “I’ve been able to deliver amazing films developed by Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] over a 40-year period, and to end it not with a whimper, but a bang, has been my greatest ambition for this excursion.” He added, “This is the final film in the series, and this is the last time I’ll play the character. I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film.“

Steven Spielberg was originally set to direct Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. He decided to step down in 2020, saying he wanted to “pass along Indy’s whip to a new generation to bring their perspective to the story.”

The film stars Harrison Ford as the legendary hero archaeologist, as well as Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Mads Mikkelsen (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Toby Jones (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory), Shaunette Renne Wilson (Black Panther), Thomas Kretschmann (Das Boot), Olivier Richters (Black Widow), Ethann Isidore (Mortel), and John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark). James Mangold directed and also co-wrote the script alongside Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will hit theaters on June 30th, but will first premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18th.