Todd Howard initially rejected the idea of Troy Baker playing Indiana Jones in The Great Circle

Troy Baker is kind of everywhere, isn’t he? Todd Howard probably thought the same, as we’ve learned he initially flat out rejected the veteran actor while looking for someone who could mimic Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Rolling Stone had the opportunity to chat with both Howard and Baker ahead of The Great Circle’s launch on December 9, 2024. It’s an interesting look into how a new Indiana Jones came together for this modern, big-budget adventure that aims to sit perfectly between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom, but the segment about Baker’s troubled casting process is most surprising.

We first learned about Baker’s involvement in January (via Entertainment Weekly). “He really brings forward that charm and sense of humor in such a good way,” said at the time MachineGames co-founder and game director Jerk Gustafsson. It seems that Todd Howard, who wanted to make an Indiana Jones game for a very long time and has been directly involved with the story and development despite his permanent position at Bethesda Game Studios, didn’t vibe positively with Baker at first though.

“Upon being introduced for the first time through Zoom, Baker confirms Howard flat out told the actor to his face that he wasn’t what they wanted — at first. But there’s no hard feelings for Baker, who understood Howard’s position and took the sentiment as complimentary,” the article reads. Howard and the team at MachineGames later went on to audition “hundreds of people” before going back to square one with the veteran. “I’ll have you know, we did a blind taste test, and people chose you every time,” he told Baker once he landed the role.

Baker, a self-confessed Indiana Jones fanatic, even trained with an authentic “Indiana Jones-like whip” with stunt actor Doc Duhame (Django Unchained). Mind you, he was just voicing the character, he went all the way in: “I better know how to ride a motorcycle, ride a horse, crack a whip… Because if you don’t believe me when I’m just standing there holding the whip, you’re probably not going to believe it when you’re actually the one cracking the whip.” Kudos to him for putting in the extra work.

Earlier this week, our Alex Donaldson shared his thoughts on the game after a hands-on preview. He came out loving it, and you can bet I’m jealous and counting the days until it releases on Xbox consoles and PC. Also, don’t worry if you’re more of a Sony stan, as Xbox Game Studios and Lucasfilm Games will be treating this one as a multiplatform release, with the PS5 version arriving in spring 2025.