Mads Mikkelsen Discusses His Approach To Being The New Grindelwald In ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’
Mads Mikkelsenisofficially replacingJohnny Deppas the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the upcoming third film in theFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themfranchise. With the exception of the die hard Johnny Depp supporters and have taken to the web to demand that his ex-wife Amber Heardbe removed fromAquaman 2as well, most fans are simply wondering what Mikkelsen will do with the villain role in the still-untitledFantastic Beasts 3. And now, theRogue OneandHannibalstar has talked about it.Entertainment Weeklyspoke to Mads Mikkelsen in support of his new movieAnother Round(in theaters tomorrow and on VOD starting December 18), and they asked how Mikkelsen’s performance might differ from what Depp did with Grindelwald inFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The actor initially responded jokingly by saying, “Well, it’s going to be me, so that’s a difference.” Then Mikkelsen elaborated more thoughtfully:
Mikkelsen using part of Depp’s performance to inform part of his own take on the character is smart. After all, you don’t want Grindelwald to feel like an entirely new character, even if he’s going to look completely different on-screen. Thankfully, there’s already a precedent set for the change in appearance since Grindelwald was initially in disguise asPercival Graves,an auror for the Ministry of Magic played by Colin Farrell in the firstFantastic Beastsmovie. So maybe Grindelwald’s appearance in the previous sequel can be explained as just another disguise that needs to be shed in order to continue evading magical law enforcement.
This isn’t the first time Mikkelsen has portrayed a villain. He starred as the titular cannibalistic genius killer inHannibal, gave Daniel Craig’s James Bond a run for his money inCasino Royale, and wreaked mystical havoc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the bad guy inDoctor Strange. But Mikkelsen’s presence in blockbusters like this is always welcome because he immediately elevates any movie that he appears in. Considering how disappointing theFantastic Beastsfranchise has been so far, hopefully he can helpFantastic Beasts 3fare a little better.
Fantastic Beasts 3is currently in production in the United Kingdom and is slated to hit theaters onJuly 14, 2022.
