Mads Mikkelsen given two days to replace Johnny Depp in 'chaotic' Fantastic Beasts casting

msn.com:

Mads Mikkelsen has revealed he was given two days notice to replace Johnny Depp in a leading role in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise. Hannibal actor Mads, 56, took over the role of genocidal wizard villain Gellert Grindewald in newly released The Secrets of Dumbledore.

The third installment of JK Rowling’s series saw Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law team up once again to try and defeat Grindelwald, who had previously been played by Colin Farrell and Johnny.

Johnny left the Harry Potter prequel series after losing a High Court battle against the Sun newspaper over an article that labelled him a ‘wife beater’; he is currently locked in a legal battle with ex Amber Heard.

After a strong start with the first film, the Fantstic Beasts series has been marred with controversy over Johnny’s legal battle, JK’s comments on trans people and, most recently, Ezra Miller’s arrest in Hawaii.