Deadline reports that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange, Casino Royale) in talks with Warner Bros. to take the role of Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3, replacing Johnny Depp. Mads being director David Yate’s choice to take the role.
Put Mads Mikkelsen atop the list of actors being considered to replace Johnny Depp in the David Yates-directed Fantastic Beast 3, the third installment of the Harry Potter spinoff based on the JK Rowling fantasy franchise. Sources said he is Yates’ choice to play Grindelwald and he is in early talks.
Mikkelsen is no stranger to playing villains including the iconic Hannibal Lecter in the series Hannibal and feels like an organic casting choice for The Potterverse. It’ll be interesting to see if this version of the villain would be taking visual cues from Depp’s incarnation or if they’ll try something a bit different.
Johnny Depp announced his forced exit from the franchise via Instagram likely connected to the ruling against him in his libel case against The Sun. However, despite only shooting a single scene will be reportedly payed $10 million by the studio as part of his pay or play deal.
Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently filming in London and is expected to be released on July 15th, 2022.
SOURCE: DEADLINE
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