Mads Mikkelsen has recently explained why Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore doesn’t address in the slightest the Johnny Depp Grindelwald recasting decision. The brand-new movie helmed by director David Yates is the third film set to be released in the ongoing Fantastic Beasts franchise.
The franchise itself is a spin-off prequel to the beloved Harry Potter film series. The film has faced many pandemic-related delays throughout its journey to production. However, after a long wait, fans can be pleased to know that Fantastic Beasts 3 is finally set to hit theaters soon. There is a smooth transition required, and immense expectations to match when a spin-off series decides to emerge from a franchise as globally successful and popular as Harry Potter. Fantastic Beasts has had quite the bumpy road from the very beginning, and now more than ever the spin-off franchise finds itself in the midst of yet another controversy. One of the more notable mishaps is the situation surrounding Depp being cast as Gellert Grindelwald (the series villain), despite facing many domestic violence allegations from his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp has denied all accusations, yet when he lost a libel case against News Group Newspaper Ltd., the studio consequently asked him to step down from the franchise. Depp's role was ultimately re-cast quite quickly and replaced with Mikkelsen. Now, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mikkelsen reveals why Fantastic Beasts 3 does absolutely nothing to address or bring clarity to the sudden casting change. The actor shared that the filmmakers made an intentional choice not to comment on the re-casting of Grindelwald.
"That was very deliberate. Everybody knows why the actors change. The entire world knows why," Mikkelsen said. "It would almost be like an Easter egg to reality to point out we swapped actors. Hopefully, we drag them in with the first scene and from there they accept this world." Mikkelsen also noted that he wanted to deliver his own take on the character, saying, "You don’t want to copy anything [Depp was] doing — that would be creative suicide."
Although Mikkelsen is right in the sense that drawing attention to the re-casting would bring some viewers weirdly out of the fictional world they are trying to create, it still comes across as a bit awkward, left completely unaddressed. Grindelwald is also a wizard, therefore he could have the potential to shape-shift or somehow distort his own physical exterior, and that would seem to be a much more natural transition. However, it’s evident that Mikkelsen also doesn’t particularly want to address the casting change due to the possibility of fearing that doing so would basically be the equivalent of tipping his hat to Depp in approval.
Mikkelsen is a complete pro when it comes to playing iconic villains, due to the fact that at this point in his career, he has portrayed a plethora of them. From taking on the role of the notorious Bond villain Le Chiffre, to embodying the sinister energy of the green-eyed Kaecilius' in Doctor Strange, Mikkelsen has mastered the art of evil, so it will be exciting for fans to see him take on this character.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will be released in theaters on April 15, 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter