Indiana Jones: Disney announces plans to release fifth movie starring Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg will team up again for a fifth Indiana Jones adventure, Disney bosses have said. The fifth instalment of the popular action series will be released on 19 July 2019, 11 years after the last movie.

The film series was created by Star Wars founder George Lucas and has seen Ford play the intrepid fedora-wearing archaeologist searching for historic artefacts and uncovering mysteries. The franchise began with the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981.

Other releases include Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. The last film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull was released in 2008, to a host of poor reviews.

Disney say that Steven Spielberg, director of all the previous films, will return. Producers reportedly ignored the temptation to pass the famous whip on to an established younger star, such as Bradley Cooper or Shia LaBeouf.

Disney chair Alan Horn said: "Indiana Jones is one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history, and we can't wait to bring him back to the screen in 2019. It's rare to have such a perfect combination of director, producers, actor and role, and we couldn't be more excited to embark on this adventure with Harrison and Steven."

The four films have made nearly $2bn (£1.41bn) in cinemas so far and Ford's stock has recently been boosted thanks to an appearance in the latest Star Wars epic, The Force Awakens, where record-breaking box office takings catapulted Ford into one of the highest earning actors of 2015.

Ford will be 76 when the new film hits cinema screens and a new Indiana Jones film will complete his revival that will include a sequel to 1982's smash indie sci-fi Blade Runner.The rights to the Indiana Jones franchise was sold to the Walt Disney Company when Lucasfilm changed hands in 2012.

Ford had declared his interest in November 2015, saying: "Yeah, I'd love to do another Indiana Jones." He added: "A character that has a history and a potential, kind of a rollicking good movie ride for the audience, Steven Spielberg as a director — what's not to like?".