Shia LaBeouf is missing from ‘Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny’ — here’s why

nypost.com:

SPOILER ALERT: Major plot points are revealed below — so don’t say we didn’t warn you.Put on your fedoras and crank out your bullwhip because Indiana Jones is taking you on another wild ride.

But there’s one noteworthy character missing from the fifth installment of the iconic action-adventure franchise.“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” has finally swung its way into theaters and a lot has changed since the last time viewers saw Harrison Ford’s archeologist.The character previously appeared in the series’ fourth flick, 2008’s “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which also featured Indiana’s son, Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf, as they set off on another historical quest in 1957.However, in “Dial,” Mutt is noticeably absent — with his storyline all tied up.The newest installment takes place in 1969, amid the turmoil of the Vietnam War, and shows Indy — still a professor and now teaching at Hunter College but on the verge of retirement — shockingly living alone in a small apartment in Manhattan.

One day, his estranged goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), approaches him with a new journey that piques his interest, and as they begin their search for the mysterious dial of the film’s title, Indy shares some startling information.He reveals that, tragically, Mutt decided to enlist in the military and was killed while serving in the war.

In the wake of his death, Indy’s wife, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) — whom he married in the epilogue of “Crystal Skull” — decided to leave him, as the grief was too much for either one of them to bear.LaBeouf’s omission from the fifth “Indy” movie — and that of his character — may have been an easy decision on the part of the filmmakers.He reportedly was not even invited.