Mads Mikkelsen to replace Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts franchise

Warner Bros. Entertainment has confirmed that Danish actor, Mads Mikkelsen will replace Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the next Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie.

Johnny Depp, who previously played Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spinoff series, Fantastic Beasts, stepped down at the beginning of November 2020.

According to Depp, Warner Bros. had asked him to step down after he lost a libel case against a British newspaper that had called him a ‘wife beater’. A statement that came after his former wife, Amber Heard accused him of domestic violence.

Now, Mads Mikkelsen will be taking the prolific actor’s place. Mikkelsen is no stranger to magic films and he acted as the supervillain sorcerer Kaecilius in Doctor Strange. Also, he was the villainous Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the television series Hannibal from 2013 to 2015.

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There were controversies around Johnny Depp acting in the second installment of Fantastic Beasts in 2016. This was because the domestic abuse allegation against him had become public knowledge already.

Johnny Depp has maintained that the allegation against him by his wife, Amber Heard, is an attempt to tarnish his reputation. He claims that Amber Heard was mostly the aggressor in their marriage.

Johnny Depp has presented recordings and witnesses during their on-going legal tussle to make a case for himself.

Now that Depp is leaving the franchise, he would still get his full eight-figure salary. Mashable explains that this is because the actor already shot a scene before parting ways with the production team.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is scheduled for release on 15th July 2022 and Mads Mikkelsen will be Grindelwald by then.