Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may be Harrison Ford's last outing as the character, but that doesn't mean it's the end for his supporting cast. If Ke Huy Quan got his way, he'd be up for doing a Short Round spin-off.
Though Quan is not set to appear in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he portrayed the character of Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Short Round was a precocious Chinese boy who aided Indy on that adventure and is one of the most iconic characters from the series. Despite this, it's never been confirmed what happened to Short Round following that film.
On the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Quan spoke about his childhood role. “I love the character of Short Round,” Quan said. “He’s funny and courageous and saves Indy’s ass," Quan said. "If Disney or Lucasfilm ever come to me and say, ‘We want to do a Short Round spinoff,’ I’m there man! I love that character so much and it would just be incredible to revisit so many years later.”
When asked what he thought his Indiana Jones character would be up to around the time of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Quan wasn't entirely sure, but he did have one idea. “I have no idea where he is," Quan said. "Your guess is as good as mine. Just because he looks after Indy so much, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was an archeologist.”
An Indiana Jones spin-off wouldn't be a new idea. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a television show focused on a younger Indy (Sean Patrick Flanery). However, a Short Round project would be the first spin-off to focus on a separate character. Short Round could be a fun character to focus a spin-off on because he was already quite capable as a child, and his experiences with Indy might just have crafted him into a world-class archeologist like his mentor.
With the title artifact in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny rumored to be a time travel device, it's possible audiences will see Short Round again soon. With the magic of filmmaking, Ford could be inserted into previous shots of the films, and Short Round could be present. Whether time travel would be accepted as a plot device by the fanbase is a different question.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30.
Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast via (Variety)