Mads Mikkelsen in talks to replace Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3

Mads Mikkelsen is reportedly in talks with Warner Bros. to play Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3, after Johnny Depp stepped down from the role last week.

As reported by Deadline, Mikkelsen is Fantastic Beasts 3 director David Yates' pick to fill the role of Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3, catapulting the actor to the top of the list of candidates at Warner Bros. 

With Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, and the rest of the Fantastic Beasts 3 cast already filming scenes, Warner Bros. hopes to have the film premiere in Summer 2022, after it was delayed from November 2021.

Depp played Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, both spinoffs and prequels to the Harry Potter book and film series. The actor was set to reprise his role in the third movie, but resigned last week. 

"I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request," Depp said in a statement released after he lost in a court battle against a British newspaper.

Filming on the yet-untitled Fantastic Beasts 3 was initially set to commence in March of this year, but the then-emerging pandemic convinced Warner Bros. to postpone production until September. The story takes place a few years after the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, where we'll reportedly see battles with World War 2 as a historical backdrop. Depp was said to have filming one scene, and reports have signalled he could be paid up a $10 million kill fee for the movie.

While plenty of movie release dates have been delayed this year, there are still plenty of exciting upcoming movies in 2020.