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It is Official:Mads Mikkelsen has replaced Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3

Fantastic Beasts 3 officially casts Mads Mikkelsen as Johnny Depp's replacement for the role of Gellert Grindelwald. In 2016, Warner Bros. revived J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World on the big screen with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel film based on a Hogwarts textbook. Though the series initially looked like it would focus on the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), it soon became apparent Fantastic Beasts would cover the time when dark wizard Grindelwald terrorized the wizarding world.

Depp appeared at the tail end of the first Fantastic Beasts as Grindelwald before going on to have a bigger role in 2018's The Crimes of Grindelwald. He was poised to play this role for the entire franchise, but following Depp's loss of a libel case against a newspaper that called him a "wife-beater," Warner Bros. asked the actor to step down. Recasting efforts quickly got underway, and early reports suggested Mikkelsen was the frontrunner. Mikkelsen later refuted those claims, but now it's clear he was merely throwing fans off the scent.

Per IndieWire, Warner Bros. has officially confirmed Hannibal actor Mikkelsen will play Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 and beyond. The film is currently production at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden outside of London. Much of the Crimes of Grindelwald cast will return, including franchise mainstays Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, and Jude Law as the young Albus Dumbledore. Fantastic Beasts 3 is scheduled for release on July 15, 2022

Mikkelsen is best known for playing Hannibal Lecter on the NBC series Hannibal. Fantastic Beasts marks the latest major franchise Mikkelsen has joined, having already appeared in the MCU (as Doctor Strange villain Kaecilius), Star Wars (Rogue One's Galen Erso), and James Bond (Casino Royale villain Le Chiffre). As Mikkelsen has clearly shown his talent for the charismatic bad guy roles, there's little doubt he'll make an excellent Grindelwald. Now, it'll be interesting to how Depp's distinctive Grindelwald look gets applied to Mikkelsen.

All told, Depp's Fantastic Beasts exit and the casting of his replacement only took a handful of weeks, meaning production might not have been set back much (if at all). Nevertheless, Fantastic Beasts 3 has already been delayed from 2021 to 2022, meaning fans will have to wait even longer to see Mikkelsen as Grindelwald. Plot details for Fantastic Beasts 3 are still being kept under wraps, but it's certain there will be a time jump between it and The Crimes of Grindelwald, and that it will spend some time in Rio de Janiero. The Crimes of Grindelwald was dinged for its messy script and nonsensical twists, but only time will tell if Fantastic Beasts 3 can take some steps to make up for past mistakes.

~ Via Screen Rant