Is Bradley Cooper Ready To Don The ‘Indiana Jones’ Fedora?

1:30pm Update: /film is reporting that the rumor is officially NOT true.

Actor Bradley Cooper, who most recently starred in American Hustle, is rumored to be in consideration for a recasting of legendary screen character Indiana Jones.

Latino Review is reporting that if the next Indiana Jones film doesn’t happen soon, they’re ready to recast the role and proceed with new adventures, much like how the James Bond franchise has lived on for decades. Cooper is reportedly at the top of their list for the next Indy.

While it’s unlikely that a casting such as Bradley Cooper for Jones would be as widely gawked at as Ben Affleck’s casting as the new Batman, recasting of the world’s most notorious archaeological adventurer is bound to come under heavy scrutiny, especially since Harrison Ford has gone on record saying he’s up for reprising the role.

Yet it’s hard to ignore the fact that Ford is getting along in years. At 71, the actor was noticeably less agile in the last installment Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And while the film was a box office success, audiences did not take well to the addition of Jones’ son played by Shia LaBeouf. Add into the mix that LaBeouf has been in the media for blatant plagiarism and strange antics, fans of Dr. Jones may be eager to accept a new face such as Cooper.

Indiana Jones has a big hat to fill, with only one other actor having taken it on (River Phoenix). Harrison Ford did it for years with his cool charisma, snarky smirk, and a perfect melding of nerd and goofy, but Bradley Cooper is certainly no slouch in those areas.

Cooper shot to fame with the Hangover franchise, then went on to star as Face in the A-Team reboot. Both films required Cooper to exude a certain type of charisma and he filled those shoes quite well.

Some fans could argue that Bradley doesn’t have the acting chops, but perhaps those people don’t realize that Cooper has two Oscar nominations (Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle) while Ford has only had one nomination and that was for Witness in 1985. With Cooper’s youth, charming smile, ability to look great with a five o’clock shadow, and his way with the ladies, Bradley’s a pretty decent pick.

The one area that Cooper may fall short in is the ability to pull off nerdiness. In the end, Indiana Jones is a professor of archaeology, and whether or not Cooper can convincingly push his inner nerd out enough to convince audiences is something that remains to be seen.

What do you think of this potential casting choice?