Johnny Depp may return as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 4, according to Mads Mikkelsen.
Depp first appeared as the villain of the Harry Potter spinoff series in 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, later starring in The Crimes of Grindelwald.
However, shortly after The Secrets of Dumbledore began filming, Warner Bros. asked Depp to resign from the threequel in the wake of his libel loss against The Sun and legal woes against Amber Heard, after a judge ruled claims he was a “wife-beater” to be “substantially true.”
The role was filled by Mikkelsen, and while the stage has been set for the finale of the not-so-acclaimed franchise, the actor isn’t sure if he’ll return – because Depp “might” come back following his recent victory against Heard.
Mads Mikkelsen says Johnny Depp “might” return in Fantastic Beasts 4
Speaking after receiving the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Mikkelsen said Depp “might” reprise his original role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 4.
As per Deadline, he said: “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.”
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Mads Mikkelsen says fans were “very stubborn” over Fantastic Beasts recasting
Mikkelsen also discussed how “intimidating” it was to take over from Depp, especially after fans “had their hearts broken.”
After praising Depp, he continued: “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.
“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.”
Fantastic Beasts 4 has yet to be confirmed, despite plans in place for a fourth and fifth movie. Looking ahead, it’s not promising: there’s Ezra Miller’s ongoing controversies; and JK Rowling has been regularly condemned for her views on transgender women.
