With “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny,” Mads Mikkelsen plays yet another bad guy in a blockbuster. This time, he’s Jürgen Voller, an ex-Nazi physicist on the hunt for an artifact Harrison Ford‘s Jones also wants to find. And while he’s adept at playing villains, Mikkelsen fans would rather have him return to the one that made him in A-lister: Hannibal Lecter in Bryan Fuller‘s NBC take on Thomas Harris‘ books about the serial killer.
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So will Mikkelsen ever reprise his role as Lecter? The actor still hasn’t ruled it out, even though the last season premiered all the back in 2015. “There’s always a chance. It’s all about finding a home for it,” Mikkelsen said to Deadline about further seasons of the crime series. “Hannibal” ran for three seasons, featuring elements from the Harris books “Hannibal,” “Hannibal Rising,” and “Red Dragon” in Seasons 2 and 3.  
However, despite a devoted fanbase and sterling reviews, NBC canceled the series after Season 3 ended. Since then, several networks and streamers have tried to keep the show going to no avail. And Fuller hasn’t entirely let go of the series either. In 2019, Mikkelsen told Bloody-Disgusting that Fuller was trying to get the rights to “The Silence Of The Lambs” hoping to use it for a new “Hannibal” season. Has he been successful? There’s no recent news about a series revival, but Mikkelsen’s comments suggest there’s still hope. “Of course, we’re running out of time,” the actor added. “We can’t wait 20 years, but in the next couple of years, if somebody finds a home, I think we are all ready to take it up again,” he said.
As for his role as Voller, Mikkelsen considers his “Dial Of Destiny” character as more of a “badass” than “a baddie.” “Nobody starts out in the morning saying, ‘I’m going to be the baddie,’” joked the actor. “They see themselves as good people in their own world.” In Mikkelsen’s words, Voller is “after a certain item, that unfortunately Harrison Ford is after as well. So, we will clash eventually.” The artifact in question? The Antikythera mechanism. And Voller’s purpose with it? Return to 1939 in order to change history so the Nazis win World War II. That sounds pretty villanous, Mr. Mikkelsen.
Of course, Mikkelsen’s comments are all in good fun, as “Dial Of Destiny” director James Mangold attests to. Mangold praised Mikkelsen’s performance before the Disney premiere of his film yesterday. “They always ask him why he likes playing bad guys, but I think you’ll see the answer on the screen — because he is damn good at it,” the director said. Indeed he does, but Mikkelsen as Lecter is on another level. Let’s hope the character returns to the small screen soon.
“Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” hits theaters everywhere on June 30.