After two mildly successful first films of J.K. Rowling’s new franchise Fantastic Beasts, Johnny Depp was replaced in his role of Gellert Grindelwald by the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. At first, when accusations of violence sparked on social media, both Rowling and Warner Bros. decided not to make any changes in the cast and keep Depp for the second film; however, when ex-wife Amber Hear published the infamous op-ed in the Washington Post and got legally involved in a libel between Johnny Depp and the British media outlet The Sun, the company decided to fire Johnny Depp and replace him with Mikkelsen.
It’s been a couple of years since Depp left his role as Grindelwald, and after a very public trial that somehow gave Depp a massive victory (although the legal battle is not done yet) questions about him returning to some of the gigs he was fired from like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean or Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts have risen in social media without any confirmation. Now, Mads Mikkelsen, the current Grindelwald himself, has suggested that Depp could be taking back the role considering why he was replaced and how things have evolved lately.
During the Sarajevo film festival, Mikkelsen was asked about his opinion on the trial and his future in the Fantastic Beasts franchise to which he simply replied: “Obviously, well, now the course has changed – he won the suit, the court [case], so let’s see if he comes back. He might.”
Mikkelsen had always spoken dearly about Johnny Depp and his work, claiming that taking the role of Grindelwald was very intimidating for him not only because of the huge fandom Depp has but also because he considers himself a “big fan of Johnny. I think he’s an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job.” He also added that together with the produces he had to come up with a new Grindelwald that would separate him from Depp’s vision: “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.”
Although it’s clear that Mikkelsen wouldn’t mind losing the role to see Depp back on it, it’s still unclear if this will actually happen. So far, Depp has slowly returned to his public life. He started touring with his friend Jeff Beck before the trial’s verdict was given and he has some film projects coming soon.
Just a couple of days ago, the first images of Johnny Depp as King Louis XV became public, Jeanne du Barry, a period drama about the famous royal mistress will be his first film in three years. It’s also been reported that Depp will be joining Al Pacino to produce (and direct himself) a biopic on the iconic painter Amedeo Modigliani.
