Another day, another set of rumors surrounding the "Indiana Jones" series. This time, the controversy centers around whether or not Disney has slated a fifth film in the franchise for release in 2018 -- or if any conversation about such a film ever took place.

A pair of conflicting reports from Ain't It Cool News and Slashfilm suggest that not even Disney can keep straight whether or not "Indiana Jones 5" is in the works. Rumors flew earlier this year that Chris Pratt -- who's currently the box office king of the world, thanks to "Jurassic World" -- would be donning the titular adventurer's hat and whip for a reboot of the franchise. Pratt has since denied that possibility (at least, no one's approached him yet, though that could change thanks to the wild success of "World").

But whether or not Pratt is involved, Ain't It Cool News reports that a "long-time and trustworthy source" has said that Lucasfilm has just scheduled "Indy 5" to drop sometime during the fourth quarter of 2018. AICN suggests that it could very well be "World"'s domination that inspired new talk about "Indy," since the former film was a sequel to a 22-year-old flick that nevertheless reinvigorated the story and connected with audiences. Everyone loves a redemption story, and Disney knows there's more money to be made from "Indiana Jones."

Of course, AICN's report flies directly in the face of Lucasfilm producer Frank Marshall himself, who told Slashfilm in no uncertain terms that Disney has never discussed "Indy 5." The key exchange from that interview:

[Slashfilm:] So that's just Internet rumor?

Frank Marshall: Yeah. I mean, we've had no discussions on Indy 5 to date.

Slashfilm notes that that interview was actually conducted last week, before "World"'s debut, and it's possible that AICN's report was accurate, if those discussions rapidly came together as soon as word spread about the film's success. Still, such a strong denial is enough to keep the rumor mill from churning at full speed. It seems, as ever, that nothing should be considered official until word comes directly from Disney.

Stay tuned. This story is nowhere close to finished.

[via: Ain't It Cool News, Slashfilm]