After years of setbacks and delays, Indiana Jones 5 is finally on a steady path to production. In the last month alone, we’ve learned who some of Harrison Ford’s co-stars will be on his latest romp as the whip-wielding, fedora-wearing archaeologist, with Casino Royale’s Mads Mikkelsen being part of this lineup. Now Mikkelsen has commented on his involvement in Indiana Jones 5, and he’s jazzed about taking part in this franchise.
It certainly helps that Mads Mikkelsen was already a fan of the Indiana Jones movies before signing onto Indiana Jones 5, so much so that he recently revisited the movie that started it all. As the actor told Collider when asked what his reaction was to being approached for Indiana Jones 5:
I’m very, very excited about it… I rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark the other day, it is so well-done and so charming, and it’s such great storytelling. So yes it’s a great honor to be part of that franchise that I grew up with… I’m in a lucky position where they let me read the script before. And yes, it was everything I wished it to be, so that was just great.
Major franchises nowadays value keeping as many key plot details under wraps for as long as possible, even keeping things secret from the talent involved (just ask the people who work for Marvel). So the fact that Mads Mikkelsen was able to read the script ahead of time is notable indeed, and now the actor gets to contribute to a franchise that he enjoyed growing up. And hey, rewatching Raiders of the Lost Ark is a solid way to get into the Indiana Jones 5 mindset, though I hope he goes the full distance and also revisits Temple of Doom, Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Of course, this is just the latest franchise Mads Mikkelsen has added to his resume. Along with the aforementioned Casino Royale, which rebooted the James Bond film series in 2006, Mikkelsen has also starred in Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and we’ll see him next year taking over the role of Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. Mikkelsen has also recently appeared in movies like Another Round, Riders of Justice and Chaos Walking.
Mads Mikkelsen was the second new actor to be revealed for Indiana Jones 5, with Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge preceding him and fellow MCU actor Thomas Kretschmann being announced the following week. There’s no word yet on who any of these actors are playing yet, and while Mikkelsen is certainly well known for playing villains, perhaps he was recruited into Indiana Jones 5 to be a good guy. Since the movie won’t come out for another two years, it may be a while before his character is identified.
Indiana Jones 5, which arrives on July 29, 2022, will be the first Indiana Jones movie not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, although he’s still attached as an executive producer. Instead, Logan’s James Mangold will helm Indiana Jones 5, and back in January, the filmmaker may have indicated that the movie will be set in late 1960s New York City. Should that be confirmed, or if any other major Indiana Jones 5 news trickles in, we’ll let you know.
