Though a lot of people are sad to see Johnny Depp leave Fantastic Beasts 3, the film has found a great new choice for Grindelwald with Hannibal's Mads Mikkelsen. We don't know how Mikkelsen is going to deal with the character yet, and apparently, neither does Mikkelsen.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen reveals that he and the team are still figuring out his version of Grindelwald after Depp's departure. When asked what the difference is with his Grindelwald, Mikkelsen replies:
"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."
Of course, there are some people who take offense that Mikkelsen got the role, especially since they think that Depp was unjustly removed from the part. Mikkelsen is very aware of these ‘dramatic circumstances' and just hopes that both actors will be able to ‘get back on the saddle' again in the future. Mikkelsen continues:
"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."
With a release set for 2022, it will probably be a while before we get to see Mikkelsen in costume. We don't know if the film is going to have some in-canon explanation as to why Grindelwald's face will change, but at this point, I'm kind of exhausted from the issue that I'll forgive WB if they just put him in there and don't explain any further.
For now, Fantastic Beasts 3 comes out on July 14, 2022.
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