Last week it was confirmed that Mads Mikkelsen is set to take over the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts movie after Johnny Depp was asked to step down from the franchise by Warner Bros., and now, Mikkelsen has broken silence on his recent casting.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Hannibal and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor confirmed that he will be joining The Wizarding World but the team are having to slightly rework the character to bridge the gap between his portrayal and Depp’s version.
“Well, it’s going to be me, so that’s a difference. No, this is the tricky part. We’re still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I’m going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn’t completely detach from what he’s already masterfully achieved.”
Mikkelsen continued to express his excitement to take over the role while also highlighting the “sad circumstances” that led to this decision.
“Job wise, it’s obviously super interesting and nice,” Mikkelsen said. “It’s also a shocker that it came after what happened, which is just super sad. I wish both of them the best. These are sad circumstances. I hope both of them will be back in the saddle again really soon.”
SEE ALSO: Dan Fogler shares his thoughts on Johnny Depp’s Fantastic Beasts exit
As mentioned above, Warner Bros asked Johnny Depp to walk away from The Wizarding World after the public situation between the actor and Amber Heard as well as recently losing a heated legal battle against the British tabloid, The Sun. Although Depp only shot one day on the project, he will still receive his full eight-figure salary, believed to be around $10 million.
Fantastic Beasts 3 is being directed by David Yates from a screenplay by franchise creator J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Katherine Waterston, and Jessica Williams are all set to return to the cast as Newt Scamander, Albus Dumbledore, Credence/Aurelius Dumbledore, Queenie Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein, and Professor Eulalie Hicks respectively. The film is currently scheduled to debut on July 15th 2022.
