‘He Might. I’m a Big Fan of Johnny’: Mads Mikkelsen Hints Johnny Depp’s Return as Grindelwald to Fantastic Beasts Franchise, Claims Copying Him is ‘Creative Suicide’
Mads Mikkelsen had hinted that the actor Johnny Depp would return to the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Depp had been a part of the franchise however left due to when he was defamed with a post labeling him a “wife-beater” as his ex-wife Amber Heard wrote an op-ed stating that she was a victim of domestic abuse. While he was recently in the news for the defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, which concluded on June 1st with the actor winning the case.
While there have many instances when the fans had argued about whether the 59-year-old actor will return to the franchise or not, Mikkelsen has hinted at the possible return of the star which might be a good sign for the star.
Mads Mikkelsen Hinted at the Return of Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beats Franchise
Mads Mikkelsen took over Harry Potter villain Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise when actor Johnny Depp exited the role back in November 2020 while he was involved in a legal trial involving Amber Heard’s assault allegations. During that time, the actor lost the U.K. libel lawsuit against The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater” as his ex-wife wrote an op-ed stating that she was a victim of domestic abuse.
The actor shared that Depp could come back as he had won the lawsuit, stating, “the course has changed—he won the suit, the court [case]—so let’s see if he comes back. He might.” He confessed that he is a “big fan” of the Black Mass actor and clarified that he cannot mimic him by appreciating what he had done in that villain. “I think he’s an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job. Having said that, I could not copy it. There’s there was no way I could just copy it because it’s so much him. It would be creative suicide.”
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While the actor shared that he added his touch to the character, he also “build a bridge between him and me.” Adding that his fans were extremely “sweet,” he mentioned, that the fans “were also very stubborn. I didn’t interact too much with them, but I could understand why they had their hearts broken.”
Will Johnny Depp Return to The Fantastic Beasts Franchise?
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While Mikkelsen had hinted at the return of the American star, it does not necessarily mean that he could return in the Fantastic Beasts franchise considering the lack of support he faced when he was involved in the libel case while another reason is more reasonable as the role of Gellert Grindelwald has already been changed thrice between the movies, so returning the role to the former star would create confusion and inconsistency in the franchise.
Depp was involved in a highly publicized defamation trial against his ex-wife for $50 million arguing that the actress defamed him when she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in an op-ed in The Washington Post back in 2018 which concluded with Depp winning the lawsuit with the jury awarding him $10.35 million while Heard was compensated with $2 million for her counter-claim.
Source: Deadline
