Mads Mikkelsen has been seen twice as Gellert Grindelwald this week in the new trailers for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore after Johnny Depp’s departure. The first look was a teaser, seeing the wizard in a sea of people, while the second showed a lot more of the new Grindelwald.
In 2020, the 56-year-old Danish actor was announced as Depp’s replacement after he was denied permission to appeal his libel loss in court. The story that he assaulted his ex-spouse Amber Heard was deemed to be “substantially true.”
Mikkelsen appeared strikingly different to Depp’s impression as he opted for a grey combover hairstyle and clean-shaven as Depp had sported a white quiff, paired with a mustache and eyebrows.
Aside from Mikkelsen’s debut role, the footage also features Eddie Redmayne as protagonist Newt Scamander, as he gathers a crew of wizards and witches to try and save the world alongside Jude Laws’s character, Professor Albus Dumbledore. The motley crew will be joining forces to defeat Grindelwald, who seeks to dominate the wizarding world.
Mikkelsen admitted he regrets not consulting Depp before taking over the role, adding that he wasn’t aware whether his treatment had been fair. “I don’t know what happened [in his private life] and I don’t know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on. And I would’ve loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don’t know him in that sense,” he told The Sunday Times.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is set to hit UK theaters on April 8, 2022, followed by a US release a week later on April 15.
Check out the new teaser trailer from a few days ago below!