Spielberg to start filming fourth Indiana Jones this year

Harrison Ford is preparing to dust off the fedora and bullwhip once more. After years of delays, filming on a new Indiana Jones movie will get underway this year.

Trade journal Variety said Tuesday that directors Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ford had all signed on for the fourth instalment of the series featuring the swashbuckling archaeologist.

For Spielberg, the film marks a return to the all-action entertainment genre after years spent on more weighty projects such as "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Munich."

Variety said the film's producers are hoping for a worldwide release date of May 2008 -- 19 years after the last film in the franchise, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Speculation about a fourth Indiana Jones movie has ebbed and flowed for years, while some fans have questioned whether Ford, 64, would be able to meet the physical demands of the role.

"I'm delighted to be back in business with my old friends," Variety quoted Ford as saying.

"I don't know if the pants still fit, but I know the hat will," said Ford.

Spielberg said that after turning down several scripts over the years, he and Lucas were pleased with the version offered for the latest movie.

"We feel that the script was well worth the wait. We hope it delivers everything you'd expect from our history with Indiana Jones," Spielberg said. "George, Harrison and I are all very excited."

The Indiana Jones films have grossed more than 1.18 billion dollars worldwide since the first movie in the trilogy, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," opened in 1981.