Johnny Depp’s dramatic defeat in the British High Court is likely to have long-term consequences for his career. The first big impact came quickly, with Depp being booted from the role of Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. This would have stung, though the fact that he’s apparently getting paid his full salary for the movie should help his mood.
Of course, Warner Bros. moved fast to cast a replacement, choosing Doctor Strange, Hannibal and Death Stranding star Mads Mikkelsen as the new Grindelwald. For my money, he’s an upgrade from Depp and has demonstrated time and time again that he can play an intelligent, calculating and vicious bad guy. But he’s also renowned as a generally nice person to work with, as proven in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly.
During this, he was asked how he felt when he learned he’d gotten the role, and said:
“Job wise, it’s obviously super interesting and nice. It’s also a shocker that it came after what happened, which is just super sad. I wish both of them the best. These are sad circumstances. I hope both of them will be back in the saddle again really soon.”
He was also asked about how his Grindelwald will differ from Depp’s, to which he replied:
Well it’s going to be me, so that’s a difference. No, this is the tricky part. We’re still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I’m going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn’t completely detach from what he’s already masterfully achieved.”
Mikkelsen won’t have had much time to prepare for the part as Fantastic Beasts 3 has already begun shooting. Depp even shot one scene in the role, which I suspect will only see the light of day years from now once this controversy is very old news. Still, he’s such an incredible actor that I can’t imagine him having much trouble taking the reins.
In fact, with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald underperforming at the box office and receiving terrible reviews, Warner Bros. may well be happy that this recasting represents a shift in gears for the series. 2020 has been a difficult year for the entire Wizarding World franchise, so let’s hope that Fantastic Beasts 3 turns things around in style when it releases on July 15th, 2022.