Mads Mikkelsen has previously had connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he was once in line to play Malekith The Accursed in Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World. That deal wound up not working out, with the actor committing himself to the brilliant NBC series Hannibal, but now it looks like the guy might have a second shot at the comic book movie world.
Variety has gotten word that Mads Mikkelson is now in early talks to join Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton, in Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange. Unfortunately, at this time the trade doesn't have any information about the specific character that Mikkelson would play, and Marvel didn't comment on the news, but there is word that he could be playing a villain in the movie.
This is definitely an interesting situation. Chiwetel Ejiofor is officially on-board to play Baron Mordo in the movie - who is expected to be a prominent villain in the movie - which leads us to wonder exactly Marvel may be interested in having Mads Mikkelsen play. If I had to put money down, my bet would have to be the Lord of Chaos and master of dark magic, Dormammu. Like Mordo, the character has been a villain in Doctor Strange comics for decades, and given his incredible power level, he could be an amazing over-arching villain whom Strange has to face-off with in the end of the movie.
Another possibly more interesting role choice for Mikkelsen could be the dark lord himself, Mephisto. Not only does the character have a long and terrible history with Doctor Strange, but Mikkelsen would truly be perfect casting:
Based on a screenplay penned by Jon Spaihts, Doctor Strange will tell the story of arrogant neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), as he finds his life changed forever after a terrible car accident. The crash leaves him unable to use his hands, so he begins a journey searching around the world for a cure. This leads him to meet The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), and it is in training in the mystic arts that he eventually becomes the Sorcerer Supreme.
Sadly, Mads Mikkelsen's time on television is coming to an end, as Hannibal has been cancelled after three seasons, but he has some very big stuff coming up. Specifically, he is very likely just about to start working on Star Wars: Rogue One - Gareth Edwards' new Star Wars film - which puts him in an ensemble that also includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed. Unlike Doctor Strange, Hannibal, Casino Royale and more, however, the Danish actor won't be playing a villain in that movie, and is expected to be one of the protagonists.
What do you think about Mads Mikkelsen joining the Doctor Strange cast? Who do you think he will play? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
