Mads Mikkelsen Says Johnny Depp Could Return to ‘Fantastic Beasts’

The actor is ready to “return” to Depp the role of Gellert Grindelwald.

Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore Secrets star Mads Mikkelsen has said that Johnny Depp may return as Gellert Grindelwald in J.K. Rowling’s new Wizarding World films.

In November 2020, Johnny Depp revealed that Warner Bros. asked him to leave the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The studio made such a decision against the backdrop of the actor’s litigation with his ex-wife Amber Heard. Later it became known that Depp in the role of the dark wizard Grindelwald will be replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.

In June 2022, Depp won a libel case against Heard. After the actor’s victory, a rumor leaked to the Network that Disney is ready to return him to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Then Depp began acting in the film “Jeanne Dubarry” and was appointed director of the film “Modigliani”. And now, in an interview with Deadline, Mads Mikkelsen said that he would be happy to “return” the role of Gellert Grindelwald to Johnny Depp:

“It was so intimidating [having to replace Depp]. Obviously, the course has now changed – he won the lawsuit. So let’s see if he comes back. It may well.”

As Mikkelsen added, while working on the film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, he could not copy Depp and show the former Grindelwald. The actor had to “invent” his version of the villain:

“I’m a big fan of Johnny. I think he is an amazing actor, he did a fantastic job. I couldn’t copy him because he put himself in that role. That would be creative suicide. So we had to come up with something new, something close to me, build a bridge between him and me.”

Warner Bros. is going to shoot five parts of the Fantastic Beasts series. However, in April, it was reported that the studio could reconsider its plans and close the franchise after The Secrets of Dumbledore.