John Rhys-Davies wants to reprise his role as Sallah in ‘Indiana Jones 5’.
The 73-year-old actor portrayed the bearded Egyptian excavator in two of the four films; ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’, and has admitted he’d really liked to be involved in the forthcoming instalment in the franchise.
Speaking to Yahoo! Movies UK, he said: "I would love to have one last crack at Sallah. What would have happened to Sallah? I like to think that he would have been somebody like Khaled al-Asaad – that marvelous 80-year-old man who was defending his museum in Palmyra and who hid its major treasures and refused to give them over to ISIS and was beheaded in the town square.
"I think that’s probably how I would have seen Sallah. Sallah is the last Arab in popular, contemporary culture, that we regard as a hero.
"The world has changed, and that’s a tragedy for the West and for the Arab world. Perhaps there is no place for a Sallah anymore.
"Although I trust that my mention of Khaled al-Asaad just reminds people that they are not all iconoclasts and that there are heroes there – real heroes, too."
Not much is known about the fifth movie – except that it’s slated for release in 2020 and Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg are both set to return.
The script is currently being penned by Spielberg’s close friend David Koepp, but details on the potential cast are being kept tightly under wraps for the time being.
However, Ryan Gosling – who stars alongside Ford in ‘Blade Runner 2049’ – has revealed he would love to appear in the next ‘Indiana Jones’ movie.
Asked whether he’s spoken to Ford about the prospect of starring in the next film, Gosling said: "I’m working on it, man … easy."
John Rhys-Davies to return to Indiana Jones 5
