Age jokes would be an effortless thing for writers James Mangold (who also directs the film) and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth to put in there. In fact, according to THR, Ford said those jokes were taken out of the final script. He said:
“There is a moment where he observes himself in this situation and says, ‘What the f*** am I doing in here?’ But I hate what I call ‘talking about the story.’ I want to see circumstances in which the audience gets a chance to experience the story, not to be led through the nose with highlights pointed out to them. I’d rather create behavior that is the joke of age rather than talk about it.”
To be fair, it would be hard to keep age-related jokes (whether spoken or shown) out of a film like this. The first “Indiana Jones” film premiered in 1981 when Ford was in his late 30s, and he’s now 80 years old. We can no longer divorce real life from film in the age of social media. We have the ability to read about every deal, every life event, and every actor’s every move. We’ve watched Ford age (and goodness, he’s done that well) over the years and return to the iconic role of Han Solo in the “Star Wars” franchise after decades. We know he’s old, but we also know he’s fitter than a lot of 40-year-olds. It almost feels silly to point that out with a line or a joke when circumstances can show it to better effect.