It’ll take a brave actor to step into the role of Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3, with the third outing of the Harry Potter prequel series already facing an uphill battle if it’s to win over fans, and that’s without even considering all of the behind the scenes problems.
True, the franchise got off to a promising start with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but follow-up The Crimes of Grindelwald brought in over $150 million less at the box office than the first film and went on to become the lowest-grossing installment in the Wizarding World. Not to mention it was also the first to land a Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The pressure’s on, then, for Fantastic Beasts 3 to succeed, but just last week it hit a major stumbling block when Johnny Depp was dropped from the role of Gellert Grindelwald following the verdict of his latest legal battle being announced. Warner Bros. is wasting no time in finding a replacement, though, and according to Deadline, they may’ve now found one.
According to the outlet, Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen is the studio’s number one choice to step in for Depp and director David Yates is said to be a big fan. Talks are currently underway and while nothing is official just yet, it certainly seems like this is going to happen.
That being said, we imagine there are other names on WB’s list as well, but whether it’s Mikkelsen or someone else, studio execs will surely have an army of angry Johnny Depp fans to contend with. Indeed, many have already threatened to boycott Fantastic Beasts 3 and though Mikkelsen is a fine actor and would be an excellent choice for the role, a lot of people will have a hard time accepting anyone other than Depp in the part.
