Mads Mikkelsen is shedding some new light on how he feels about stepping in as the new Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 following Johnny Depp's exit from the role. In the previous movie, Depp delivered an unforgettable performance in his own unique way. He was on board to reprise the role for the third installment before he was asked to resign by Warner Bros. due to his ongoing legal troubles.

Following Depp's performance will be a tremendous challenge for any actor, but Mikkelsen was ultimately the one cast to replace him. In a new chat with Collider, Mads Mikkelsen teased what fans can expect with his take on the character, which will entail bridging the gap between both performances while still making the role his own. From the interview:

"Nobody's interested in me going in there and trying to copy anything, that would be creative suicide immediately, especially when it's been done before and masterfully. So everybody's expecting us to find a different path. Having said that, we need a bridge between what he did and what I'm gonna do, so those bridges you have to find together, whether it's a certain look, whether it's a certain attitude in certain situations, but you have to make it your own. Anything else would be plainly just creatively stupid."

There might be some pressure in stepping into a major franchise, especially when replacing an established actor, but the decision to say "yes" to Fantastic Beasts 3 was still a no-brainer for Mikkelsen. As the actor also explains in his Collider interview, he's a big fan of the Harry Potter universe and just couldn't seem to pass up the opportunity to get involved with the franchise.

"I'm a big fan of the Potter universe, and it's a kind of genre that you don't touch upon in my part of the world. You can't get away with that budget-wise in Denmark, so obviously when it came my way it was a fantastic opportunity."

Originally, Johnny Depp was involved with Fantastic Beasts 3 and had even begun filming new scenes in character as Gellert Grindelwald. Things changed when Depp incurred a major setback in his never-ending legal drama with ex-wife Amber Heard, as a UK judge tossed his libel lawsuit against the British tabloid The Sun. Soon after, Depp took to Instagram to reveal that Warner Bros. had asked him to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3 as a result.

"I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request," Depp wrote in a statement. The actor also vowed to appeal the decision, but amid great controversy, his appeal was denied in March. He is still set to face Heard in a separate libel trial in the U.S. next year. A popular fan petition was also launched to bring him back to Fantastic Beasts 3, though it was apparently ineffective. Fantastic Beasts 3 is scheduled to be released on July 15, 2022. This news comes to us from Collider. The topper art comes from Axel PC on Instagram.