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.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor 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.