Fantastic Beasts: Mads Mikkelsen thinks Johnny Depp “might” return to the franchise

After playing the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the first two films in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, Johnny Depp was asked to step down from the role for the third movie. Mads Mikkelsen stepped into the role and made it his own for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, but Mikkelsen now believes that Depp could return.

Johnny Depp’s legal battles with Amber Heard are at an end, and the actor is taking on new projects once again. But could one of those projects find him returning to the role he was asked to leave just two years ago? While speaking at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Mads Mikkelsen admitted that it was difficult to replace Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts sequel but suggests that he “might” be back.

It was very intimidating. 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’s there was no way I could just copy it, because it’s so much him. It would be creative suicide.

Mads Mikkelsen continued, “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.” Switching back to the original Grindelwald for the next movie could be confusing for fans, but it may prove a moot point as some aren’t convinced that the franchise will continue. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was the lowest-grossing installment of the franchise, taking in just $405 million worldwide on a $200 million budget. J.K. Rowling had envisioned a five-film franchise, but Warner Bros. hasn’t yet greenlit a sequel.

Would you like to see Johnny Depp reprise his role in the next Fantastic Beasts movie, or should Mads Mikkelsen continue in the role?