Mads Mikkelsen talks Indiana Jones 5 script: "It was everything I wished it to be"

Mads Mikkelsen in Hannibal
(Image credit: IMDb)

Mads Mikkelsen has offered his thoughts on 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," the actor told Collider. "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."

Mikkelsen was cast in Indiana Jones 5 back in April in an unknown role, but did give a few hints away to Collider as to what we can expect when the film finally arrives: "I do think I'm invited in to create a character, I think that everybody wants that. That's why they pick certain actors that they think can come up with certain things, and it will be a collaboration as it always is."

He continued: "Interesting enough, there is kind of a genre mix in Indiana Jones always. There is something that is a little larger-than-life, almost back to the '30s with a Peter Lorre kind of feel, and then you have Indiana Jones who kind of is a straight man. But he does produce a lot of funny and interesting things, but there are different character genres in some of those films."

Around the same time as Mikkelsen was cast, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was also added to the lineup as the film's female lead. Both will appear alongside long-time Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford. This isn't the only franchise movie on Mikkelsen's plate, either: he's also replacing Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3, and in the last few years had roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Marvel's Doctor Strange.

Logan director James Mangold will helm Indiana Jones 5, with Steven Spielberg – who was originally set to direct – producing. John Williams will return to score the film.

Indiana Jones 5 is set to release July 29, 2022. Until then, check out our roundup of all of 2021's upcoming movie release dates.  

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.