It’ll take a brave individual to step into the role of Grindelwald for Fantastic Beasts 3, with the third outing of the Harry Potter spinoff series already facing an uphill battle in regards to winning over fans, and that’s without even mentioning all of the behind the scenes turmoil as of late.
While things got off to a good start with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, follow-up The Crimes of Grindelwald earned $150 million less at the box office and suffered from poor reviews and a general lack of enthusiasm and excitement from audiences. The pressure’s on, then, for the threequel to perform well. And though it remains to be seen how it’ll ultimately turn out, the one big question hanging over it so far has been who will replace Johnny Depp?
The actor was dropped from the role of Gellert Grindelwald after the verdict in his libel case against a UK tabloid turned out to not be in his favor. And now, just a few weeks later, Warner Bros. has announced that they’ve already found a replacement in the form of Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, of course, as the actor was said to be in talks for the role not too long ago. However, he poured cold water on the idea shortly after those reports broke, saying that he wasn’t going to be playing Grindelwald. But it seems he was just being coy and not wanting to spoil anything until WB was good and ready to make the official announcement.
Tell us, though, are you excited to see Mads Mikkelsen as the new Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3? Or do you feel as if no one can replace Depp? Sound off below and let us know.