The first question that comes to mind about Quan's potential return in the "Indiana Jones" franchise: Why hasn't it happened already? In hindsight, an adult Short Round making a cameo in "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" or "The Dial of Destiny" seems so obvious, it actually hurts a bit. However, the reality of the situation is a bit more complicated.
After the original trilogy wrapped up in 1989, the "Indiana Jones" franchise has been moving with all the pace and grace of a narcoleptic glacier. Over the decades, people must've badgered Ford with so many sub-par Indy film ideas that he occasionally had to visit a Star War and kill a Han Solo just to unwind a little. Remember, the film that actually got made was "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Who knows what madness has cast a shadow on Ford's desk over the series' tectonic movements?
Meanwhile, Quan's Academy Award-worthy comeback is a story for the ages. It's also happened at such a lightning pace that the lumbering Indy franchise couldn't possibly have seen it coming. After all, Quan barely worked as an actor for the longest time, and when people suddenly realized he was back in the game, he was already riding the "Everything Everywhere All at Once" hype train at breakneck speed.
Quan showed up on screen after everyone thought he'd retired, but now that he's back, he's proved that he can absolutely kill it at action, comedy and drama alike — all at the same time, if needs must. Since these just happen to be the basic building blocks of the "Indiana Jones" movies, the franchise should bend over backwards to lock him as the star of its next few films.
