Mads Mikkelsen has found a new franchise to grace with his presence following James Bond (Casino Royale), the MCU (Doctor Strange), Star Wars (Rogue One) and Harry Potter (Fantastic Beasts 3), as the Danish actor will join Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Indiana Jones 5.
The action-packed sequel hails from director James Mangold and franchise gatekeeper Steven Spielberg, who will produce alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel. Lucasfilm aims to start production this summer, as Disney is slated to release Indy 5 on July 29, 2022.
Plot details and Mikkelsen's role remain under wraps, but we do know that Oscar winner John Williams will return to compose the score, which will once again incorporate Indy's iconic theme.
Mikkelsen recently signed on to replace Johnny Depp as Grindewald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Watching him in Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher films and Valhalla Rising, I never would've guessed that Mikkelsen would go on to star in five of Hollywood's top franchises, but I'm thrilled that the studios have embraced him, because he's a great actor.
Mikkelsen recently starred in Another Round, which is tipped to win the Oscar for best international feature later this month, and he'll soon be seen in the revenge movie Riders of Justice. Deadline broke the news of his casting in Indiana Jones 5, and maybe this newfound stardom from mega-franchises will encourage Gaumont to revive the delicious Hannibal TV series that likely earned him all these high-profile roles.