In the aftermath of Johnny Depp’s departure, the star of the hit crime “Hannibal” Mads Mikkelsen has been confirmed to be the new Gellert Grindelwald of the franchise.
Mikkelsen’s name has been a big part of the speculations in the fans fraternity ever since the news pertaining to Johnny Depp’s departure have surfaced. Now, on November the 25th, Warner Bros. confirmed that Mads Mikkelsen would be the one to step into Johnny Depp’s shoes.
In pop culture, Mads Mikkelsen is renowned for the role of Hannibal Lecter from the hit crime show “Hannibal.”
The 54-year-old actor will be a part of the third cinematic venture in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, and he will mark his debut in the coveted role of Gellert Grindelwald in that film. The third film is being developed by Warner Bros. and company, and for now, its release date has not been moved. The movie is still expected to be released on July the 15th, 2022.
It was only last week that the actor has said that though he will take the call from Warner Bros., the news regarding his appointment as the antagonist Gellert Grindelwald was nothing more than blown humor.
He had insisted that since the news is in the rumor domain, he has as much of an idea as a young fan girl of JK Rowling does.
Mads Mikkelsen will take on the role which was played by Johnny Depp in the first two movies. Depp lost out on the role after he couldn’t win the UK court trial against the media house “The Sun.”
Depp did make a statement in which he said that he has respected the decision taken by Warner Bros. and has voluntarily resigned from his position in the film. However, he is liable to be paid his full dues by Warner Bros.
The actor had accused The Sun of defamation after the newspaper had described him as a “wife-beater.” Depp sued the newspaper for it, but he failed to verify his claim. The newspaper had called him a “wife-beater” in a story that was commentating on the allegations put forward by his ex-wife Amber Heard that he had once assaulted her.
Depp wanted to disprove all the accusations that have been thrown at him by suing the newspaper. After he lost the case, Depp and his lawyers decided to appeal the decision, but that was rejected by the judge on November the 25th, 2020, on the ground that the “appeal” does not possess any real potential for success.
It is needless to say that the professional life of Johnny Depp is going downhill, and if he soon doesn’t fix himself up, he will lose out on a lot of projects.
Source: Hannibal Star Will Replace Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts Franchise .
