Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore sees Mads Mikkelsen take on the role of evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and the Danish actor has his own ideas on why Grindelwald started his crusade against non-wizards.
"I'd like him not just to be instantly demagogic," Mikkelsen told The Hollywood Reporter. This led to Mikkelsen creating his own story to help explain Grindelwald's actions. "My reason is that something happened to his entire family when he was a child that explains the hate he carries around," he said. "It’s a fantastic, detailed, complex universe [Rowling's] created, and I'd love to hear her thoughts on it. I hope I will do more than this one [film]."
Although the character of Grindelwald appeared in both previous Fantastic Beasts films, this is the first time Mikkelsen stepped into the Wizarding World. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the character spent the majority of the movie played by Colin Farrell and disguised as Percival Graves, the head of MACUSA's Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was only in the closing moments of the film that Graves' true identity as Grindelwald was revealed and Johnny Depp stepped into the role. Depp returned for the sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, but was replaced by Mikkelsen for The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Unlike the change from Farrell to Depp, no onscreen explanation is given for Grindelwald's different appearance in the third movie. The decision to replace Depp was made by Warner Bros. following personal issues for the actor that led to the loss of a high-profile libel case, and Mikkelsen says the lack of an explanation this time was a deliberate choice by the moviemakers. "Everybody knows why," Mikkelsen explained. "It would almost be like an Easter egg to reality to point out we swapped actors. Hopefully, we drag them in with the first scene and from there they accept this world."
Whether Mikkelsen will get his wish to do another Fantastic Beasts movie may hinge on the success of The Secrets of Dumbledore. The series was originally intended to be five movies long and would lead into the legendary duel between Grindelwald and Jude Law's Albus Dumbledore, but recent reports suggest that any future movies aren't as certain as they once were. Executives at Warner Bros. are reportedly "waiting to see how The Secrets of Dumbledore is received before giving films four and five the greenlight."
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is playing in theaters now.
Source: THR