Hollywood moves fast, even during a pandemic. No less than a week after Warner Bros. announced the departure of Johnny Depp from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, reports are already coming in on a potential replacement.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to replace Depp as Gellert Grindelwald. The behind-the-scenes brevity makes sense, seeing how the film is already in production following postponements to Covid-19.
If all goes accordingly, Mikkelsen will be the third star to portray the villain. Prior to Depp, Colin Farrell had worn Grindelwald’s seemingly ever-changing mug, all before exiting stage left by the end of 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The untitled third adventure in the Harry Potter prequel series hits theaters on July 15, 2022. David Yates returns to helm the picture, which brings back Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore and Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander.
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Not gonna lie, we’re all-in on Mikkelsen, but we’ll see. Until then, the Danish wonder can be seen next in Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round, which hits limited theaters on December 4th and On-Demand a few weeks later on December 18th.
There’s also always Hannibal. Bon appetit, indeed.
