(Image credit: IO Interactive)
Mads Mikkelsen may not be part of the upcoming Death Stranding 2, but his latest adventure in video gaming brings him back as James Bond villain Le Chiffre, now a fresh target in Hitman: World of Assassination. During a lively Q&A after IO Interactive‘s grand 2025 showcase, Mikkelsen and Agent 47 himself, David Bateson, delved into their early collaboration on a peculiar project where, in a twist of fate, Mikkelsen’s character ends the life of Bateson’s.
Bateson recalls, “Mads and I worked on a small film together back in [1998, 99],” promptly corrected by Mikkelsen to, “94.” The film in question, Tom Merritt, is a brief exploration inspired by Edgar Lee Master’s 1915 poetic masterpiece, the Spoon River Anthology. Although Bateson insists on a 1999 release date, records confirm it was indeed 1999. This early work is available to view on YouTube.
As Bateson reminisces, “Oh my god. Who am I again?” he continues, “You were at drama school, which is scary. We did this little movie. It was a love triangle. He was having an affair with my wife. The short story is this: it’s set in 1895, I go away hunting, he turns up to seduce my wife.”
Bateson describes a memorable scene: “I’m standing next to the director, watching this unfold, and Mads acts in a way that completely rocks my boat. He leans nonchalantly, spitting for effect, while folding his arms. It was risky but undeniably brilliant. I whispered to the director during the take, ‘does Mads know what he’s doing?’ to which he replied, ‘I don’t think so, but don’t tell him.’ It was that raw brilliance.”
Mikkelsen interjects with humor, “It worked on your wife though,” prompting Bateson to jest, “I’m rather pleased about that because she’s here tonight.” Bateson praises Mikkelsen, acknowledging the talent evident even during their early days in drama school.
A surprise revelation hits Mikkelsen when he learns Bateson voices Agent 47: “I walked into the room today, and as the game pitch unfolded, I suddenly recognized David in the hitman’s character. So, my very first role saw me shag his wife and kill him, and now in this game, who knows what will transpire?” Bateson jokingly retorts, “Yeah, you killed me. Asshole.”
Hitman: World of Assassination exists in its distinct landscape, even as Mikkelsen’s villainous character voyages into the ecosystem crafted by IO Interactive, leaving fans eagerly anticipating what’s next for the iconic hitman and his new quarry.