Mads Mikkelsen talks replacing Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3

Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen wants to honor Johnny Depp’s performance as the dark wizard Grindelwald while still putting his own stamp on the role.

Mads Mikkelsen is an underrated actor if there ever was one. Sure, people recognize him as the title character from the brief run of Hannibal (the series), and others will remember him from Rogue One, where he played Galen Walton Erso. But considering how talented he is, there still way too many folks who don’t know him.

That might change now that he’s officially taken over the role of Gellert Grindewald in the upcoming third installment of Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts. The dark wizard and rival to Albus Dumbledore was previously played by Johnny Depp. Warner Bros. asked him to resign after he lost a libel lawsuit in the United Kingdom against a publication that alleged he was abusive towards ex-wife Amber Heard. Warner Bros. has had its fair share of scandals over the last year (the embattled Joss Whedon just stepped down from his HBO show The Nevers), so it’s not shocking to see the studio try to bring down the temperature a bit.

Happily, Mads Mikkelsen is the perfect choice to play this role, and will bring just the right amount of creepy and intimidating to it. We hadn’t heard much from Mikkelsen since the official announcement, but he recently talked about it with Entertainment Weekly.

"Well it’s going to be me, so that’s a difference. No, this is the tricky part. We’re still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I’m going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn’t completely detach from what he’s already masterfully achieved."

I commend the guy for keeping things respectful in an awkward situation. He compliments Depp on his performance, side-steps any of the issues over why he was let go, and commits to bringing something of himself to the role while still honoring what came before. It’s yet another sign that he’s the right guy for the job.

Mads Mikkelsen is no stranger to playing dark characters, and as a Potterhead, I look forward to seeing his spin on Grindewald.

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