It’s official: Mads Mikkelsen is the new Gellert Grindelwald.
The Hannibal and Rogue One star is confirmed to replace Johnny Depp as the notorious dark wizard in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
The news comes after Depp was asked by Warner Bros to withdraw from the role after he came out on the losing end of an legal battle he waged against a British tabloid for libelling him in describing him as a “wife beater” in articles that covered his tempestuous marriage to Aquaman star Amber Heard. The judge sided with the newspaper.
Warner Bros. had to move quickly given that the third film in the series is already in production in the U.K.
The film’s release date was previously set for next year, but with the recent recasting news, the film has been pushed back to July 15, 2022.
The third film is once again directed by longtime Harry Potter franchise veteran David Yates and is based on a screenplay by author J.K. Rowling along with Steve Kloves.
Get your copy of Fantastic Beasts: [2 Film Collection] on Amazon now.
[…] Expanding the world of Harry Potter remains a top priority for HBO Max and Warner Bros., which along with creator J.K. Rowling, controls rights to the property. Harry Potter is one of Warners’ most valuable pieces of IP. The franchise has recently suffered from an online backlash against creator J.K. Rowling and Mads Mikkelsen replacing Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3. […]
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[…] production caught headlines already last year due to Mads Mikkelsen replacing Johnny Depp just prior to production […]
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[…] film marks another major franchise Mikkelsen is boarding after coming on to the Fantastic Beasts movies; he replaces Johnny Depp as Grindelwald after Depp parted ways with the part earlier this year […]
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[…] Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander and Mads Mikkelsen as the central villain, Gellert Grindelwald, previously played by Johnny Depp. Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, William Nadylam and […]
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