CONFIRMED: Johnny Depp Will Play Grindelwald In FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
It's official! Fantastic Beasts director David Yates has now confirmed that Johnny Depp will indeed breathe life into one of the most infamous characters in Harry Potter lore - Gellert Grindelwald!
When news broke early last week that Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) had been cast in a major co-starring role in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel, fans almost immediately began speculating on who he may play, and it really didn't take them long to come to the conclusion that Depp had signed on to breathe life into the original dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald: former friend (and possibly more) to the one-and-only Albus Dumbledore.
Well, as it turns out, they were right on the money. Depp will indeed make his debut as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them next week when the film hits theaters worldwide and will return for a much bigger role in the 2018 sequel as well as in the three additional planned follow-ups, which are expected to roll out every two years or so.
During a recent interview with Harry Potter fansite The Leakey Cauldron, director David Yates confirmed the report himself and also explained their process behind casting the über-talented, 3x Academy Award-nominated actor. Read his comments below:
“The whole principal of casting the movie was go with the best actor. Go for the most inspired, interesting, right fit for that character. And as we approached Grindelwald we thought, ‘who’s going to take this in an interesting direction?’ In this business, it’s a weird old business. You’re brilliant one week, people are saying odd things the next, you go up and down. But no one takes away your pure talent.
Johnny Depp is a real artist. He’s created several characters who have really resonated in our popular culture. He’s a really brilliant, brilliant actor. We were excited about seeing what he would do with this guy, the character. He’s fearless; he’s imaginative; he’s ambitious. We thought he would do something fun and special. So we went for him, purely on that selfish basis. We don’t care if he’s famous or not famous. We just know he’s interesting.”
Say what you will about Depp, but when he's on his game, he's easily one of the most talented and exciting actors working today, which makes his casting a huge get for Warner Bros. as they try to launch a brand new five-film franchise. He recently turned in a phenomenal performance in Black Mass as the notorious Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, showcasing an intensity that we can only hope to see again when he dons a robe and picks up the Elder Wand.
On another note, it sounds like the first Fantastic Beasts sequel will head back to Europe, with Yates teasing the United Kingdom and France as being the most likely destinations. We've also received word from multiple sources that casting is currently underway for a younger Dumbledore to match up against Depp's Grindelwald, so stay tuned into CBM for more updates as they happen.
So, what do you guys think about Depp's casting? Who would you like to see as a younger Dumbledore? Sound off with your thoughts below!
There are growing dangers in the wizarding world of 1926 New York. Something mysterious is leaving a path of destruction in the streets, threatening to expose the wizarding community to the Second Salemers, a fanatical faction of No-Majs (American for Muggles) bent on eradicating them. And the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, after wreaking havoc in Europe, has slipped away…and is now nowhere to be found.
Unaware of the rising tensions, Newt Scamander arrives in the city nearing the end of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures, some of which are safeguarded in the hidden dimensions of his deceptively nondescript leather case. But potential disaster strikes when unsuspecting No-Maj Jacob Kowalski inadvertently lets some of Newt’s beasts loose in a city already on edge—a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy that former Auror Tina Goldstein jumps on, seeing her chance to regain her post. However, things take an ominous turn when Percival Graves, the enigmatic Director of Magical Security at MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA), casts his suspicions on both Newt…and Tina.
Now allied, Newt and Tina, together with Tina’s sister, Queenie, and their new No-Maj friend, Jacob, form a band of unlikely heroes, who must recover Newt’s missing beasts before they come to harm. But the stakes are higher than these four outsiders—now branded fugitives—ever imagined, as their mission puts them on a collision course with dark forces that could push the wizarding and No-Maj worlds to the brink of war.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them features:
Director: David Yates
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander
Katherine Waterston as Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein
Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
Colin Farrell as Percival Graves
Samantha Morton as Mary Lou Barebone
Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone
Carmen Ejogo as President Seraphina Picquery
Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty
Ron Perlman as Gnarlack
Jon Voight as Henry Shaw Sr.
Josh Cowdery as Henry Shaw Jr.
Ronan Raftery as Langdon Shaw
Jenn Murray as Chastity
Gemma Chan in an undisclosed role
George Najsarek in an undisclosed role
Zoë Kravitz in an undisclosed role
Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them apparates into theaters November 18
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