Mads Mikkelsen has joined the cast ofIndiana Jones 5. Word of theHannibalstar’s casting in the upcoming movie sequel comes shortly after the announcement that Phoebe Waller-Bridge had also signed on to be a part of the cast in a lead role. The two will join a returning Harrison Ford who will also be back as the titular adventurer for the fifth time.
Plot details, along with information about whoMads Mikkelsenwill be playing, have yet to be revealed. What we know is that James Mangold will be directing the movie after taking the reins from Steven Spielberg, the director behind all four previous installments. Spielberg will still be on board to produce alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel. John Williams, the composer who worked on the score of all four prior movies, also returns to composeIndiana Jones 5.
“He’s a wonderful filmmaker. I think he also has a relationship with Harrison. It wasall of the right piecescoming together, at the right time,” Marshall said of Mangold directingIndiana Jones 5while speaking withColliderlast year. “Steven is staying on as a producer, so we’ve got the best of everything.”
Perhaps best known for starring in the popular horror seriesHannibalas cannibalistic doctor Hannibal Lecter, this is the second major franchise role picked up by Mikkelsen in the span of a few short months. Following legal drama between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp was asked to resign from his role as Gellert Grindelwald inFantastic Beasts 3. It has since been announced that Mikkelsen will replace Depp in the role, and while Depp’s fans were sad to see him go, the response to Mikkelsen’s casting has been largely positive.
“No, this is the tricky part. We’re still working it out,” Mikkelsen said of hisFantastic Beasts 3casting in an interview withEWin December. “There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I’m going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also, we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn’t completely detach from what he’s already masterfully achieved.”
Mikkelsen was also recently seen in the sci-fi action movieChaos Walkingalongside Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland. Featuring Mikkelsen in a lead role, the Danish movieAnother Roundhas also earned critical acclaim with Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best International Feature Film. His other movie credits includeRiders of Justice,Polar,Doctor Strange, andRogue One: A Star Wars Story. Mikkelsen has also said he’s open to doing moreHannibalif the fan favorite series ever gets rebooted for another season.
Indiana Jones 5, which doesn’t yet have an official title, is scheduled to bereleased on July 27, 2025. The plan is to begin production sometime this summer, and director James Mangold is currently meeting with other talent to cast thesequel’s other prominent roles. News of Mikkelsen’s casting was first reported byDeadline.
