Indiana Jones 5 Still Happening, Now With Hannibal Lecter Involved

Indiana Jones 5 is gaining momentum with casting announcements, including the actor most well-known as Hannibal Lecter.

By Faith McKay | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

indiana jones 5

Indiana Jones 5 is moving forward with casting announcements. We just learned that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has signed on as a lead in the movie. Now, Deadline has learned that actor Mads Mikkelsen, most well-known for his role as Hannibal Lecter, will be co-starring alongside Harrison Ford in the fifth installment for the Lucasfilm franchise.

At this point, all we know is that Mads Mikkelsen should have a fairly large role in Indiana Jones 5. We don’t yet know what to expect from that character. Currently, production is set to begin in summer of 2021 with a release date in the summer of 2022. Yet, we still don’t have any plot details on the movie. What will Harrison Ford’s character be up to? We aren’t sure. Once we learn more about what Ford is up to, it may be easier to guess what part Mad Mikkelsen’s character will play. It seems likely they won’t be telling us much for a while yet. Currently, production is working on bringing on more talent before filming begins, so we can expect more casting announcements for the movie soon.

Indiana Jones 5 isn’t the only major production Mads Mikkelsen has recently signed on for. He is currently set to replace Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3. He’s no stranger to franchises, though in the past his roles have been smaller. Previously, he played a part in 2016’s Doctor Strange as Kaecilius, was Galen Erso in Rogue One, and Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. Marvel, Star Wars, and James Bond are some of the biggest franchises around, though again, his parts have been small. A lead role with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones 5 and replacing Depp in Fantastic Beasts are some big moves for the star. Previously, Mads Mikkelsen has been most well-known for his leading role in the television series Hannibal.

mads mikkelsen

Hannibal Lecter was almost clean cut. It was important that the character always look put together. He spoke well. He wore a suit. Hannibal’s face was always clean-shaven. However, we’ve seen Mads Mikkelsen in roles like Lucas in The Hunt where he’s been a bit messier. It will be interesting to see what role he takes on in Indiana Jones 5, where he’ll likely be joining a fun and messy adventure.

Recently, the actor played Martin in Another Round. This 2020 Danish film has been earning Oscar nominations. Mads Mikkelsen has the lead role in a group of four teachers who decide that always keeping a little bit of alcohol in their system may be the key to improving their unhappy lives. The recent nominations for Another Round may be helping gain Mikkelsen some more attention in Hollywood for some of these bigger roles.

Beyond the Oscar nominations for his recent projects, the Indiana Jones 5 role, and Fantastic Beasts casting, Mads Mikkelsen is also set to star in The Billion Dollar Spy. This upcoming movie thriller has yet to start production, and may actually be delayed for a while. Originally, production was delayed by the pandemic. Now, Mikkelsen is getting busy. And then co-star Armie Hammer was dropped from the production. The Billion Dollar Spy may be on the backburner, but it sounds like Mikkelsen will stay busy enough to make up for it.