Indiana Jones the Dial of Destiny director spilled the beans on why Ke Huy Quan could not be made part of the last outing of the adventure franchise.

In a chat with IGN, the filmmaker James Mangold answered the 51-year-old conspicuous absence from the film.

“We looked at all these different things, but the first thing we were trying to do was assemble a story that made sense in the present, meaning in the 1969 section of the movie,” the filmmaker added.

He continued, “If you notice… the only person we follow through the whole way is Indy himself. Joined by Helena [Shaw, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge], I felt like we needed to have a female lead who challenged him. But we looked at all these different things and tried to figure out how they would work. I just didn’t want another adult along for the ride.”

Further, the 59-year-old showered praise on Oscar winner career turnaround.

“It’s also thrilling what he’s done this year, and I’m so happy for him to have suddenly found an entirely new picture to assert both his acting talent and his incredible martial arts skill,” Mangold said.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will land in cinemas on June 30.