Johnny Depp Returning to 'Fantastic Beasts' Franchise? Mads Mikkelsen Hints at Possibility
Will Johnny Depp reclaim his throne from Mads Mikkelsen in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise?
Gellert Grindelwald became one of the roles Depp had to lose after the UK court tagged him a wife beater following his legal battle against The Sun. With his sudden exit, Warner Bros. immediately looked for a replacement and hailed Mikkelsen as the new cast member.
After the third installment, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," aired, Mikkelsen opened up about Depp's possible return.
The 56-year-old "Valhalla Rising" actor recently attended the Sarajevo Film Festival to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award on Monday.
In an interview with Deadline, the actor opened up about his thoughts when he replaced Depp and why he expected the original actor to come back.
"It was very intimidating. Obviously, well, now the course has changed-he won the suit, the court [case]-so let's see if he comes back. He might. I'm a big fan of Johnny. I think he's an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job. Having said that, I could not copy it. There's there was no way I could just copy it because it's so much him. It would be creative suicide," he said.
In order to portray the character Depp once played, he reportedly built a bridge between them to act the way the character has always done.
Mikkelsen also commended Depp's fans for being sweet and stubborn. As he witnessed the legal battle, he reportedly could understand why the supporters were broken after the actor lost his role.
When Did Johnny Depp Lose Gellert Grindelwald's Role?
Ahead of the then-arrival of "Fantastic Beasts 3," Depp shocked his fans with a heartfelt letter thanking them for supporting him from the beginning.
Depp also took his time to reveal the heartbreaking news, saying that his future as Gellert Grindelwald has ended.
Due to the issues he had been facing for months, he understood Warner Bros.' decision and agreed to withdraw from the role.
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"I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts, and I have respected and agreed to that request," Depp wrote.
Warner Bros also confirmed the news in a separate statement, saying that they needed to let go of Depp.
IndieWire published the official release of the studio to announce that Grindelwald's role would be recast. The company eventually tapped Mikkelsen.
