While promoting his upcoming movie
Another Round, actor Mads Mikkelsen spoke about taking on the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the
Fantastic Beasts films for the first time since Warner Bros.
confirmed his casting in the saga.
Mikkelsen took the role after Johnny Depp, who portrayed the villainous Grindelwald in the first two movies, left the series. Mikkelsen is currently working on the third movie at Leavesden Studios in the U.K. and is expected to complete the saga.
Of particular interest is that there will be a notable transition of Depp's Grindelwald to Mikkelsen's, confirmed the actor.
Quote:
Mads Mikkelsen: 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.
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 [Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard] the best. These are sad circumstances. I hope both of them will be back in the saddle again really soon.
The third installment, out July 15, 2022, will be directed by David Yates, and will bring back the cast of the series including Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore along with Ezra Miller (Credence / Aurelius Dumbledore), Callum Turner (Theseus Scamander), Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein), Victoria Yeates (Bunty), William Nadylam (Yusuf Kama), Poppy Corby-Tuech (Vinda Rosier), and Jessica Williams as Professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks.