Mads Mikkelsen On The 'Shocker' Of Replacing Johnny Depp In 'Fantastic Beasts'

Days after Johnny Depp lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers in November over a story claiming he abused ex-wife Amber Heard, the actor said he was asked to exit the franchise . Warner Bros. wasted no time finding a replacement, and soon Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen was brought in to take over as dark wizard and Dumbledore’s former boo Gellert Grindelwald. 

Now, with a scoop that’d make even Rita Skeeter jealous, Entertainment Weekly spoke with Mikkelsen about taking on the role in the “Harry Potter” spinoff franchise.

So how’s Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald going to differ from Depp’s?

“We’re still working it out,” the actor said.

“There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I’m going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn’t completely detach from what he’s already masterfully achieved,” Mikkelsen said.

The actor also talked about landing the role under such strange circumstances.

Though he said it’s “obviously super interesting and nice,” Mikkelsen added, “It’s also a shocker that it came after what happened, which is just super sad. I wish both of them the best. These are sad circumstances. I hope both of them will be back in the saddle again really soon.”

Dumbledore himself, Jude Law , also recently weighed in on Depp’s “unusual” exit , telling “Entertainment Tonight ,” “In a situation like this, you defer to the studio. That’s all you can do. Because you have to turn up and play your part.”

The next installment in the franchise, “Fantastic Beasts 3,” is set to premiere in 2022, Warner Bros. previously confirmed to HuffPost.