Mads Mikkelsen Rumored to Replace Johnny Depp as Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts fans around the world are still reeling over the news that Johnny Depp will no longer play Gellert Grindelwald. Depp announced in an Instagram post that he would be stepping down from the part for the next chapters of the Fantastic Beasts series.

Since then, fans have been wondering what that means for the franchise as well as the portrayal of Grindelwald. However, a short time after Depp’s announcement, Warner Bros. decided to push the release date of the third movie to July 15, 2022.

That just leaves the question of who will take over the role of Grindelwald. Mads Mikkelsen (known for his roles in Doctor Strange, Rogue One, and Hannibal, to name a few) is on the short list to take over the part. According to one source, Mikkelsen is a favorite choice of director David Yates. While Mikkelsen has proven his tremendous strength as an actor in several movies and TV shows, we have to wonder if his transition into the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be a smooth one.

Filming for the third movie is already taking place across the United Kingdom with the franchise’s other core actors, such as Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne. According to Variety, Depp had only just started filming his part for the movie when he stepped down, so redoing the scenes with Mikkelsen wouldn’t take too much time.

Johnny Depp lost the libel case against the Sun last week and still has another libel lawsuit going on in the United States as well. Depp is standing by his statements that the allegations against him are false and will appeal the judge’s decision in his case against the Sun. This roller coaster ride doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.