This week Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures signed off on an agreement for the future of the Indiana Jones franchise. The deal will give Disney, who purchased Lucasfilm late last year and gave them access to the iconic archeologist, ownership rights to the characters and rights for marketing and distributing any future Indiana Jones films made.

However, the deal also ensures that Paramount Pictures will retain distribution rights for the current four films from Raiders of the Lost Ark through Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and will give them a percentage of any financial profits made off of future Indiana Jones films.

Although no new Indiana Jones films have been announced along with this agreement, it should be taken as all but certain that this deal will lead to additional sequels. Harrison Ford also seems more than willing to reprise the role at least one more time. Speaking back in October to Graham Norton while promoting Ender’s Game, Ford said:

It would appear that, should schedules and a script all line up and to make this deal to make sense financially, we could be seeing Dr. Jones return to the big screen sooner than later. Are you ready to hear the crack of a whip at least one more time?

[Source: Deadline]