credit: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Ke Huy Quan is up for a Short Round series if the chance ever comes around. With the upcoming movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny set to shut the book on the main series, spinoff ideas are starting to generate.
The 51-year-old actor was recently seen in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. He even reconnected with Harrison Ford, aka Indiana Jones, at a convention not long ago. The love for the character in Temple of Doom has lasted for decades now.
A reunion isn’t going to happen, as the next Indiana Jones movie is the last. But Ke did make it clear that he would gladly return for a spinoff series about Short Round. The peppy little sidekick that a lot of fans remember from the 1984 action/adventure movie was one of the best parts of the movie. Many agree that he was also one of the most important.
Fans remember Ke from other movies as well, such as The Goonies and Encino Man, which came later. He hasn’t remained as active as others, but he’s kept up a career. Following his recent appearance, many fans are ready to see more of him.
credit: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Short Round was the greatest sidekick in the franchise
Granted, there weren’t a lot of sidekicks in four movies. But Short Round was still the best sidekick that Indy had. He couldn’t do as much as others, but he was fiercely loyal to Indy. He’s also far braver than a couple of Indy’s companions.
Shorty did have his moments when he wanted nothing to do with a situation. However, when it came to Indy, he was in the thick of it. Braving fights with Thugee cultists and enduring a free fall on a rickety wooden bridge just came with the territory.
One can also make the argument that without Short Round, Indiana would have remained under the cult’s influence. Without caring, he would have burned Willie alive. Short Round is the kind of sidekick that easily proves his worth. He’s a card cheat, unfortunately, but he’s a lifesaver as well, as he saved Indy a couple of times in one movie.
A spinoff series sounds like a great idea
It feels possible that Short Round could carry a story on his own. It’s very easy to admit that the audience didn’t get to know that much about him. A series would give the audience a chance they need to see his backstory and what direction his life took.
This is one fact about the character that a lot of fans are harping on at the moment. The final scene of Temple of Doom sees that everything is fine. But we don’t get to find out what happened to Short Round. Many likely assumed that he and Dr. Jones parted ways at some point. Shorty had to grow up at some point, after all.
credit: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
The series could give an update on what happened to Short Round
Many fans think that Shorty would have become an archaeologist or something similar after his time with Indy. That’s a good guess for certain, but unless this series is ever considered, there’s no way of knowing.
Trying to nail down every possible role he might have taken on is kind of tough since Shorty was still rather young. To see his backstory, even just a little, is interesting to think about. In fact, a series would have to make this a possibility.
But it’s also feasible to think that he could have stuck with Indy until just before The Last Crusade. Dr. Jones did have a wide range of individuals with whom he kept in contact over the years. It’s possible that Short Round was simply out of contact range for the past two movies. It sounds like a good explanation, anyway.
The worst reason is that they had a falling out and refused to speak to each other. It was apparent that they managed to get on each other’s nerves. But many fans would argue that they still cared for each other.
Nothing is moving forward. It’s just an idea for now
The worst part of this at the moment is the fact that it’s just a thought, a theory. There’s no series coming down the pipeline at this time. But fans would love to see this.
The fact that Ke is on board with the idea is even better since it gives fans hope that something might come of it. After figuring out what happened to Short Round, though, the idea for a series is needed. It does make sense to turn Shorty into an archaeologist or a treasure hunter. He did learn from one of the best.