Ever since Warner Bros asked Johnny Depp to withdraw playing the role of Grindelwald in “Fantastic Beast 3,” there has been a massive hunt to find his replacement. Mads Mikkelsen is emerging as the front runner in early talks. Sources say that he is director David Yates’ choice. Early talks are on as the team is trying to keep shooting on track.
Depp was supposedly asked to leave after shooting one day on the film as he lost a much-publicized case against The Sun, a British tabloid. The newspaper called him a “wife beater” in articles that covered his tumultuous marriage to Amber Heard, who starred in “Aquaman.” He sued the newspaper for libel but lost his case as the judge ruled against him.
Director Yates is said to be a big fan of Mikkelsen, who has recently completed “Chaos Walking” which is directed by Doug Liman. The team is in the process of locking in Matt Mikkelsen and early talks are on. Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law have already started shooting. The new actor playing Grindelwald will be chosen soon. The picture was supposed to be released on November 12, 2021 but its release date has been postponed to Summer 2022.
