30 Jun – Mads Mikkelsen recently admitted that he had wanted to talk to Johnny Depp after being cast as the actor's replacement in the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. The Danish actor, who spoke recently about taking the role of Gellert Grindelwald from Depp during the latter's most devastating moments in his career, stated that while the replacement was inevitable, he would have loved to discuss with the actor - seeing that he has "no dog in that fight" between Depp and the studio. "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," said Mikkelsen. "They called me and they were obviously in a hurry, and I loved the script and so said yes. And I know it was controversial for many people, but that's just the way it plays out once in a while."
Depp shared of his withdrawal from the third J.K. Rowling movie back in November, after losing a libel suit against News Group Newspapers in the UK. He sued The Sun publisher for defamation after they called him a "wife-beater" and questioning Rowling's decision to keep him following allegations of abuse made by his ex-wife Amber Heard. "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," he wrote at the time. On the other hand, Mikkelsen said that he will not be doing what Depp had done in the previous two movies, and instead bring something that is his own. "I think he's a masterful actor, so copying him would've been creative suicide. I had to figure out something that was definitely my own, and yet also act as a bridge to what he had done. My take is different, and the look is a little different, but we'll have to wait for the film's release [next year] to find out," he said.