Fantastic Beasts 3: Mads Mikkelsen In Talks To Replace Johnny Depp As Gellert Grindelwald
Danish star Mads Mikkelsen is in early negotiations to play the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 after Johnny Depp's exit from the fantasy film series.
Danish
star
Mads
Mikkelsen,
known
for
films
Casino
Royale
and
Doctor
Strange,
is
in
early
negotiations
to
play
the
dark
wizard
Gellert
Grindelwald
in
Fantastic
Beasts
3
after
Johnny
Depp's
exit
from
the
fantasy
film
series.
Last
week,
Depp
revealed
that
he
will
no
longer
play
Grindelwald
in
the
Warner
Bros'
franchise
after
he
lost
his
libel
case
relating
to
abuse
allegations
by
former
wife,
actor
Amber
Heard
against
a
UK
newspaper.
The
studio
had
also
confirmed
that
Depp's
role
will
be
recast
before
the
film
opens
in
theatres.
The
third
film
spin-off
in
JK
Rowling's
Harry
Potter
universe,
which
shut
down
shooting
in
March
due
to
the
coronavirus
pandemic,
is
currently
in
production
in
the
UK.
A
source
close
to
the
production
told
Variety,
Depp
had
shot
just
one
scene
as
Grindelwald
before
leaving
the
film,
so
Mikkelsen
would
not
need
to
replicate
much
footage.
Mikkelsen
is
known
for
playing
memorable
antagonists
like
Le
Chiffre,
a
banker
to
terrorist
organisations
in
Casino
Royale,
which
was
Daniel
Craig's
first
outing
as
the
iconic
British
spy
James
Bond,
supervillain
Kaecilius
opposite
Benedict
Cumberbatch's
Doctor
Strange
and
the
cannibalistic
serial
killer
Dr
Hannibal
Lecter
in
the
NBC
series
Hannibal.
If
the
deal
is
finalised,
the
actor
will
join
franchise
stars
Eddie
Redmayne,
Katherine
Waterston,
Jude
Law,
Dan
Fogler,
Alison
Sudol
and
Ezra
Miller.
David
Yates
is
directing
the
film
from
a
screenplay
by
Rowling
and
Steve
Kloves.
Rowling,
Kloves,
David
Heyman,
and
Lionel
Wigram
are
producing.
Depp
first
played
Grindelwald
in
2016's
Fantastic
Beasts
and
Where
to
Find
Them.
He
reprised
the
part
in
2018's
Fantastic
Beasts:
The
Crimes
of
Grindelwald
and
was
set
to
start
shooting
for
the
third
part
next
year.
Fantastic
Beasts
3
is
currently
scheduled
to
be
released
on
July
15,
2022.