Short Round fans received some bad news tonight when The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Indiana Jones has a new sidekick. Ray Winstone is joining the cast of Indiana Jones to take on the role once filled by a small Asian kid.

Winstone is sort of like and older, poor man’s version of Sean Bean… but only because he hasn’t found his Lord of the Rings yet. If he’s in Indy 4, then I guess he’s found it. He’s also playing the lead in the upcoming Robert Zemeckis movie Beowulf. The dude is kind of a badass.

Winstone us the kind of character actor that shows up all over the place but never gets any credit. Most of the time, he’s either holding a sword or a gun. He’s played Bors in King Arthur, Mr. French in The Departed, he’s been in everything from Sexy Beast to Cold Mountain. You know Ray Winstone, you just don’t know that you know Ray Winstone.

I know Ray Winstone, and I would never have pegged him as Indy’s sidekick. The guy is a great heavy, but playing Indiana Jones’s buddy is kind of an unexpected turn for him. Cast him as the film’s villain and that makes sense, but best buddy? Surprising to say the least.