No transfiguration required: Warner Bros. is already close to recasting Johnny Depp s role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Days after Depp was booted from the Harry Potter prequel film series following his failed libel case against a British tabloid that called him a wife beater, the studio has lined up another actor to take over his pivotal role.

Deadline is reporting that Danish star Mads Mikkelsen is in early talks to play the villainous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald for the upcoming third Fantastic Beasts film.

Mikkelsen is reportedly director David Yates top choice to replace Depp in the film, which began shooting in September after production shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mikkelsen is more than up for the task. He has already proven quite capable of playing bad guys in films like Doctor Strange and Casino Royale, as well as in the NBC series Hannibal, where he portrayed the titular cannibalistic serial killer to much acclaim.