Mads Mikkelsen‘s presumed casting as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 is now official, as Warner Bros. has announced the Danish actor will take over the role of the Dark Wizard from Johnny Depp.
Mikkelsen has reportedly been director David Yates‘ top choice for the past two weeks after Depp agreed to step down from the sequel due to his legal troubles in the UK. I don’t watch the Fantastic Beasts films because I’m not a Harry Potter kind of guy, but Mikkelsen represents a major upgrade in my book, as Depp has been content playing the same note in big-budget studio movies for far too long now. Not only is Mikkelsen a terrific actor, but he also looks the part of an evil wizard, and the audience will surely recognize him from tentpoles such as Casino Royale, Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Fantastic Beasts 3 sees Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne reprise his role as Newt Scamander alongside Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams, Victoria Yeates, and two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law, who plays Dumbledore.
Yates will direct from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling (boooo!) and Steve Kloves, who will also produce alongside David Heyman, Lionel Wigram and Tim Lewis, while Neil Blair, Danny Cohen, Josh Berger and Courtenay Valenti will serve as executive producers.
Currently in production at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden outside of London, the latest installment in the series takes audiences back to the beloved Wizarding World for an all-new, globe-trotting adventure. Fantastic Beasts 3 had been slated for release on Nov. 12, 2021, but it recently shifted to summer 2022.
via Collider