Indiana Jones and a grown-up Short Round reunite to fight zombies in unused concept art. First appearing in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford’s intrepid archaeologist would go on to become one of the most iconic movie heroes of all time. All five of Ford’s adventures as the character pair him with a sidekick, with Ke Huy Quan’s Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom remaining one of the most memorable.
Now, unused Indiana Jones concept art shared by ILM concept artist Saby Menyhei on Instagram imagines Quan returning to play Short Round in an adventure in which he fights undead warriors with Ford’s Indy. Check out the concept art below:
The art features Indy clutching a glowing lost relic of some sort, with Short Round wearing an adult version of the costume he sported in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The artist doesn’t specify whether the art was part of the development of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but it’s well known that the film had a long development process in which it went through many different iterations.
Should Short Round Have Returned In Dial Of Destiny?
As with previous installments, Indy’s final adventure once again sees Ford’s character with a sidekick, with Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) stepping in to fill that role. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny‘s reviews were quite mixed from critics, but Helena is frequently cited as a high point of the film. That being said, it still would have been interesting to see Quan return as an older version of Short Round.
A Short Round comeback in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also would’ve landed at the perfect time. After the release of Everything Everywhere All At Once last year, which earned Quan an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor, the star had a major resurgence in popularity. That’s not to mention the viral nature of his off-screen reunions with Ford at various events, the response to which would suggest that a return by Short Round would’ve been welcomed by audiences.
Putting Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, however, is definitely not as simple as swapping him in for Helena. The entire story would’ve needed fairly major changes, and losing the Indy/ Helena dynamic would likely result in a very different tone. Unfortunately, with Ford having bid farewell to the Indiana Jones franchise, it now seems like audiences will never get an on-screen reunion between Indy and Short Round.
