The Wizarding World may have found its new Grindelwald. According to Deadline, Mads Mikkelsen is “Fantastic Beasts” director David Yates’ preferred choice for the role, and the Danish actor is in early talks to take it.
What happened to Johnny Depp?
Johnny Depp, who played Grindelwald in the first two installments of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, was asked to withdraw from the role after the actor lost an ugly legal battle against a British tabloid. According to Deadline, Depp sued The Sun for libel after the paper described him as a “wife beater” in articles that covered the actor’s tumultuous marriage to Amber Heard.
While Depp was asked to leave the project after one day of shooting, he will still be paid his full eight-figure salary, according to People.
Who is Mikkelsen?
If Mikkelsen chooses to take over as Grindelwald, he will become the first actor ever to hit the “Harry Potter,” Marvel and “Star Wars” trifecta, SlashFilm reports. The Danish actor made appearances in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the “Star Wars” universe in 2016. He played the nefarious Kaecilius in “Doctor Strange” and was cast as Galen Erso in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
Mikkelsen’s most recent project was “Chaos Walking,” a sci-fi film based on the 2008 novel “The Knife of Never Letting Go,” written by Patrick Ness. According to ScreenRant, the feature stars Daisy Ridley alongside Tom Holland and is slated to release in January 2021.
There are some Colin Farrell rumors.
Some fans are calling for Colin Farrell to return to the “Fantastic Beasts” series and reprise his role as Percival Graves (aka Grindelwald in disguise), but the actor reportedly has scheduling conflicts, according to ScreenRant.
Variety reports that the Irish actor is currently hard at work portraying The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”
What’s going on now?
According to The Guardian, the shooting schedule for “Fantastic Beasts 3” was delayed from its original start date in March 2020 to October because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the picture moved its original Nov. 12, 2021, release date to summer 2022, according to Deadline.
Since Depp stepped down from his role on Nov. 6, Warner Bros has been racing to lock in a new actor, Deadline reports. In the meantime, Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law are already shooting.
“Fantastic Beasts 3” will largely take place in Rio de Janeiro as the story inches toward the Wizarding World’s involvement in World War II, according to SlashFilm.