Joining an existing franchise is never easy, but joining an existing franchise as a recast of a pivotal role comes with issues all of its own. At the Sarajevo Film Festival this week Mads Mikkelsen spoke about joining the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and replacing Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald.
Before Fantastic Beasts 3, Mikkelsen, already a star in his native Denmark, saw his popularity increase dramatically with his role as Le Chiffre in 2006 Bond film Casino Royale. However, nothing sent him into stardom quite like his role as dapper cannibal Hannibal Lecter in NBC's Hannibal series created by Bryan Fuller. The incredibly gory but complex and ultimately strangely touching series saw Mikkelsen star alongside Hugh Dancy and Gillian Anderson, and the show ran for 3 seasons before being canceled.
Mikkelsen was at the festival to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award for his outstanding contribution to film and spoke at the event's "Coffee With..." event on Monday morning. Mikkelsen addressed his trepidation at taking on the role and how his interactions with Depp fans were once the news had broken. “It was very intimidating,” said Mikkelsen said of replacing Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3. “Obviously, well, now the course has changed—he won the suit, the court [case]—so let’s see if he comes back. He might. I’m a big fan of Johnny. I think he’s an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job. Having said that, I could not copy it. There was no way I could just copy it because it’s so much him. It would be creative suicide. So, we had to come up with something else, something that was mine, and build a bridge between him and me. So, yes, it was intimidating. His fans were very, very sweet, but they were also very stubborn. I didn’t interact too much with them, but I could understand why they had their hearts broken.”
The suit Mikkelsen refers to Depp's ongoing legal issues with his ex-wife Amber Heard at the time. The trial has ended with a jury awarding $15 million to be paid by Heard. However, Heard is appealing the verdict and has hired new layers.
Despite Mikkelsen's statement that Depp could come back, there's nothing to suggest that currently. In fact, the Secrets of Dumbledore is the lowest performing film in the Wizarding World franchise and received mixed reviews upon release. The films also feature embattled actor Ezra Miller in a starring role as Creedence Barebones, lending further speculation about whether the series will continue.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now available on digital platforms.
Source: Deadline