Okay, right up front, let's be clear that this news is strictly rumour at this point. But equally, let's be honest about it: we knew this was coming.
Disney look like they may be on the verge of recasting Indiana Jones for movie number 5.
It's now only been a matter of months since Disney took on the franchise, and they look to be gearing up for the long road to Indy 5 and it's fairly obvious why they would be pushing through already. Obviously, they would love for Harrison Ford to stay on in the role, but film production takes time, and the man is already in his 70s. How much longer can Ford be realistically expected to bring that same grit and physicality as time goes on? And his commitment to at least one new Star Wars picture will really take up some time.
If the project does move forward without Ford (and possibly without Spielberg), Disney have already begun looking at alternatives to fill the roles of star and director.
Then there's the lead role. No one has been cast, nothing has been signed, and several actors are still being considered for the job. However, at this point, the front runner would seem to be Bradley Cooper. Which isn't actually that bad of a choice. Cooper is a very good actor, with a lot of charm and the ability to be physical (did you see him disco in American Hustle?). Now, can Bradley Cooper do what Harrison Ford did? No, he can't, no one can. However, Cooper has his own skills and abilities that mean he could do something new with the role.
If there is a question from myself at this stage, I think I would just want clarification if this was indeed a sequel (i.e. a continuation of the series), a prequel (an earlier adventure still set within the same universe) or an outright reboot. We won't know if it's a sequel until we know if Ford can come back. If he can't, it'll be one of the other two.
I'll tell you this now: if the folks behind the decisions haven't seriously considered doing a prequel story that shows Indy working with Abner Ravenwood, and his encounter with Marion, then they aren't thinking clearly. It may well be sacrilege to tackle this, but it's the most potent piece of Indy's backstory that we haven't really gotten into yet. We'll just have to wait and see.
This will all be developed further in the next year or so, but expect big news somewhere down the line.