Just a few days following the news that Johnny Depp and Warner Bros. have amicably decided to remove the actor from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, it appears a new actor is already on his way to snagging the role. As first reported by Deadline, accomplished thespian Mads Mikkelsen is in negotiations to replace Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spinoff series.

Depp first appeared as the villainous dark wizard in the Harry Potter prequels during the final moments of 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. The sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, further explores Depp’s character and teased much more to come in future installments. Warner Bros will reportedly recast the role swiftly for the third feature scheduled to debut in summer 2022. Per the initial report, Mikkelson is director David Yates’ choice to play Grindelwald and the actor is in early talks. However, an official casting announcement is likely coming soon. The currently-untitled third movie is already a couple of days into production.

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The Fantastic Beasts film series serves as a spinoff and prequel to the Harry Potter franchise. The first two installments follow British wizard and magizoologist Newt Scamander as he travels worldwide in an attempt to rescue and care for magical creatures. However, he gets swept up in a much bigger war thanks to his mentor Albus Dumbledore. The films feature an A-list cast including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman, Jude Law, and Zoë Kravitz. The series touts a combined $375 million at the worldwide box office.

Mads Mikkelson is one of the most celebrated performers in modern cinematic history. After endearing himself to fans with roles in Rogue One and Doctor Strange, Mikkelson joining the Harry Potter universe is a dream come true for many moviegoers. Recently, Mikkelson last provided voice and motion capture work for the 2019 video game Death Stranding. Up next, the Doctor Strange star will appear alongside Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley in Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking.

What do you think? Is Mikkelson a good choice to replace Depp? Let us know in the comments below!

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