With Johnny Depp in the midst of a legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, Warner Bros. made the divisive decision to replace him as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Doctor Strange star Mads Mikkelsen stepped in to pick up where Depp left off, and the response to his take on the villain was a positive one.
Unfortunately, neither fans nor critics had much in the way of praise to share beyond that and a disappointing box office performance has led to speculation that the franchise will now end.
It would be a shame for that to happen without this story getting a proper conclusion, though it would make sense for the planned next two movies to become one. Either way, Mikkelsen has now opened up about replacing Depp (via Deadline) and suggests that, with the actor's legal issues behind him and his name now cleared, he could reprise the role.
"It was very intimidating," Mikkelsen said of filling in for Depp. "Obviously, well, now the course has changed - he won the suit, the court [case] - so let’s see if he comes back. He might."
"I’m a big fan of Johnny. I think he’s an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job. Having said that, I could not copy it. There’s there was no way I could just copy it, because it’s so much him. It would be creative suicide," the actor continued. "So, we had to come up with something else, something that was mine, and build a bridge between him and me. So, yes, it was intimidating."
"His fans were very, very sweet, but they were also very stubborn. I didn’t interact too much with them, but I could understand why they had their hearts broken."
It would be one hell of a move for Warner Bros. to bring Depp back, though whether the actor would be interested after being fired by the studio is another matter altogether. His return would definitely create a lot of buzz around the Fantastic Beasts franchise, though, and that's something it sorely needs at this point.
Would you guys like to see Depp return as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 4?