There's a fifth Indiana Jones film in the works - and John Rhys-Davies has told Digital Spy that he wants in.

The 71-year-old played Indy's ally Sallah in both Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Last Crusade (1989).

He told us: "Every time I see Spielberg, I say to him, 'Steven - the really successful films are the first and the third, but there seems to be something missing from two and four... I wonder what it is?' and he laughs!

"Of course, I would like to do another one - he's a great character - but I'd have him do something meaningful."

Rhys-Davies revealed that he turned down a return in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because Sallah would have been relegated to a cameo appearance.

"I was asked to be in the last one, but they wanted me to do a bit of green-screen - walk in, sit down and clap - and they were going to cut that into the wedding scene at the end," he explained.

"I turned it down because it seemed to me that that would be a bit of a betrayal of the audience's expectations. Sallah is a popular character - there's a greatness of soul about him that we all love and admire."

Lucasfilm

The veteran actor also expressed concerns about whether Sallah would be allowed to appear in a new Indiana Jones movie, since he's "the last popular Arab character in Western popular culture".

"Perhaps the real tragic truth of our time is that we no longer have a place in Western popular culture for 'good Arabs' - and that's public perception, that's not my value judgement," he said.

"Perhaps that is one reason why it may well not happen. But if that's the case, then it's a tragedy for all of us."

John Rhys-Davies stars in The Shannara Chronicles - beginning Thursday, February 25 at 9pm on 5STAR.

Watch the IMAX trailer for the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark right here:

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