Steven Spielberg to start work on Indiana Jones 5 next spring

Steven Spielberg has given Indiana Jones fans a reason to be cheerful after announcing he'll start production on the fifth movie in the film franchise early next year (19).

The moviemaker has also revealed Harrison Ford and his castmates will be shooting the film in the U.K.

"It’s always worth the trip when I get to work with this deep bench of talent coming out of the U.K." the director tells Empire. "The actors, and the crew, the chippies (carpenters and set builders), the sparks (electricians), the drivers - everybody who has helped me make my movies here, and will continue helping me make my movies here when I come back in April 2019 to make the fifth Indiana Jones movie."

Sources tell Empire Shia LaBeouf, who was poised to take over the franchise after appearing in the fourth film, Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as the adventurer's son Mutt Williams, will not feature in the new project.

And insiders have also made it clear that Ford's Indiana Jones character will not be killed off in the fifth film, suggesting this movie might not be the last fans see of the grumpy archaeologist.

Han Solo, Ford's other iconic movie character in the Star Wars films, was killed off in The Force Awakens and he never appeared in last year's The Last Jedi.

The plot for Indiana Jones 5 remains a mystery, but some fans have suggested it could be based on the Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis comic book series and video game.