The links between the Indiana Jones series and the James Bond franchise just keep growing by the day. With Indiana Jones 5 recently hiring No Time To Die writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the bridge linking the two sagas seemed pretty solid. But now, a full-fledged Bond villain has been brought into the fold, as director James Mangold’s installment has just cast Casino Royale’s Mads Mikkelsen in an undisclosed role.
Mikkelsen’s participation was announced by Deadline, but as you could expect, no further details have been provided as to who he’s playing and how they fit into the story. 2021 has been a fantastic year for Mads Mikkelsen so far, especially in the world of tentpole franchises. His Indiana Jones 5 casting comes on the heels of another pretty big space on the Mikkelsen bingo card being filled, thanks to his being recast as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3.
Indiana Jones 5 is set to start shooting this summer, at which point the world will probably get the basic details as to what Mads Mikkelsen is doing in this particular cinematic universe. But if we’re going to start speculating how the man once known as Le Chiffre will be leaving his stamp in Harrison Ford’s legendary archaeological crowd pleaser, there is one possibility we’re stuck on. Should you want to put money on Mr. Mikkelsen’s status in Indiana Jones 5, he’s probably going to be playing a villain.
As the Indiana Jones series has always played around with the formula of the James Bond franchise, Mads Mikkelsen’s casting feels like it’s bound to fit that very mold. With Dr. Jones back in action yet again, it only seems fitting that a shadowy figure would be set to try and conquer the world through archeological myth. And with the market basically playing towards those strengths anyway, it feels like Mads Mikklesen is giving the people what they want.
Then again, there’s a chance that James Mangold and the Indiana Jones 5 crew have cast Mr. Mikklesen to play a likable associate that helps Indy and his team save the day. While villainy has made up a good portion of his highlighted filmography, Mads Mikkelsen does have the charm required to play a hero. If you ever had a doubt about that particular fact, just ask his rabid fanbase, and the people who have been praising his latest film, Another Round.
Indiana Jones 5 is about to bring the franchise born out of Steven Spielberg’s dreams to direct a James Bond movie closer to resembling the classic adventures that inspired it. With a July 28, 2022 release date penciled in at the moment, this long fabled sequel is going to become a reality pretty quickly. And as we’ve seen with past Indy sequels, anything could be waiting behind the great veil of secrecy that surrounds this project.
