It's official: Mads Mikkelsen will replace Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3

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After two weeks of rumors, Mikkelsen is officially our next Grindelwald

Mads Mikkelsen in Another Round
(Image credit: Nordisk Film)

It's official, Muggles and magic folk: Mads Mikkelsen will play Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3.

As we previously reported, Mads Mikkelsen entered talks to replace Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beast film after Depp was asked to resign by Warner Bros in November. While the Mikkelsen rumours went Mads online, the actor initially played coy about stepping into the dark wizard's robes. GamesRadar+ reported less than a week ago that Mikkelsen said: "Oh that is on the rumor basis as we speak. So I know as much as you do from the newspapers. So I'm waiting for that phone call."

Warner Bros has now officially announced that Mikkelsen has been cast as Gellert Grindelwald in the threequel, which is currently in production in London. The cast of Fantastic Beasts 3 includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, and Jude Law. The film began production in March of this year but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic before picking back up again in September.

Fantastic Beasts 3 takes place a few years after Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, where we learned more about Miller's character's backstory. The third film in the series is set to release in November 2021, although it's unclear if any of these production delays will result in the release date being pushed back again.

Mikkelsen has already proved he can be just as dashing as he can be villainous in Casino Royale and Hannibal, so this is a fine choice for the role. Emphasis on fine.  

While many movie release dates have been delayed, there's still plenty of exciting upcoming movies to look forward to.  

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.