Warner Bros. Should Recast Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts

Controversial as it may be, Warner Bros’ Harry Potter prequel franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, should replace Johnny Depp and recast the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Author J.K. Rowling introduced the world to the Boy Who Lived when the first novel in her seven-book series debuted in 1997, and in the two decades since, Rowling’s Harry Potter novels have grown into a cross-media mega-franchise that includes eight movies, a continuation in the form of a stage play, and the expanding prequel film series that kicked off last year with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.While much of the first movie’s plot revolved around Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his friends attempting to recover escaped magical creatures before they made themselves known to the no-maj community, it also set the stage for a longer conflict that will be explored throughout the five films Warner Bros. and Rowling have planned. That conflict centers on the evilest sorcerer the world had known prior to the rise of Voldemort: the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp.

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The casting of Depp was announced shortly before Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them began screening for press and critics last year, with it later being revealed the actor makes a short appearance at the end of the first film as the villainous wizard. From the start, fans of the Harry Potter franchise criticized the casting due to Depp’s acting abilities, dwindling box office appeal, and the allegations of domestic abuse against him. Despite these criticisms, Rowling, who wrote the scripts for the first two Fantastic Beasts movies, and director David Yates have defended Depp’s casting as Grindelwald. However, Warner Bros. should consider recasting Depp’s Grindelwald in their Fantastic Beasts series, starting with The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Why Recast Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts?

In the early years of his career, Depp made a name for himself for starring in mid-to-low budget projects that showcased his abilities as an actor. However, he reached mainstream success with his portrayal of the drunken, but clever pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He went on to apply his zany characterization in blockbuster fare that includes multiple Pirates sequels, Disney’s live-action Alice in Wonderland, the remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the film adaptation of stage musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

However, while Depp may have been a major box office draw in the ’00s and very early ’10s, a number of his films since have underperformed and failed to connect with critics. The Lone Ranger, Mortdecai, Transcendence, and Alice Through the Looking Glass are a handful of Depp’s misses in recent years, struggling to find success at the box office, with critics, or casual moviegoers. Additionally, Forbes named Depp the most overpaid actor of 2016, with him averaging a box office return of only $2.80 for every $1 he was paid. So casting Depp in the Fantastic Beasts franchise won’t necessarily translate into a box office win – and given the number of critical misses under his belt, nor does it translate into good reviews.

All that aside, even if Depp could guarantee The Crimes of Grindelwald to be a critical and financial hit, many Harry Potter fans criticized Warner Bros. for defending the actor in spite of the allegations of domestic abuse made against him by his ex-wife Amber Heard. As reported by ET Online, in May 2016 a judge granted Heard a temporary restraining order against Depp a week after she filed for divorce on the grounds of domestic violence. Heard alleged he had been abusive on several occasions. The restraining order request was withdrawn later that year when Heard and Depp settled their divorce. However, earlier this year Depp’s former managers corroborated Heard’s allegations in court documents obtained by People concerning the ongoing lawsuit between the actor and The Management Group.

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In light of what’s going on in Hollywood – with Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K. and more facing career consequences for, in some cases, decades of sexual misconduct – it’s unconscionable that Warner Bros. wouldn’t at least consider recasting Depp as Grindelwald. Ridley Scott set a new precedent when he decided, less than two months before the film’s release date, to conduct reshoots on All the Money in the World in order to replace Spacey. Though Depp’s appearance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was filmed before Heard’s allegations were made public, Yates and Warner Bros. have had plenty of time to come up with a way to replace the actor as Grindelwald in the sequel. And, given that Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald takes place in a world in which magic exists, there are plenty of ways to recast Gellert Grindelwald.

How Can Warner Bros. Recast Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts?

One of the most popular suggestions from fans calling for Warner Bros to replace Depp as Grindelwald is to bring back Colin Farrell. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Farrell played Percival Graves, the director of Magical Security for the Magical Congress of the United States of America. However, it was revealed at the end of the movie that Graves was actually Grindelwald hiding in disguise, with Depp playing the dark wizard post-transformation. Farrell’s turn as the villainous wizard was one of the more widely praised aspects of the original Fantastic Beasts among both critics and casual moviegoers; Depp’s brief portrayal of Grindelwald wasn’t as well received.

Although fans suspected Grindelwald used Polyjuice potion to maintain the appearance of Graves, the author confirmed the dark wizard actually used Transfiguration. Transfiguration is one of the more difficult branches of magic in the wizarding world and, as its name implies, is used by wizards to transform the appearances of objects, or in some cases, people. Since Grindelwald is one of the most skilled wizards in the history of the Harry Potter mythology, it’s not surprising he can cast a Transfiguration spell on himself powerful enough to hold up for however long he posed as Graves in MACUSA.

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Of course, with it established that Grindelwald can cast a spell to transform his appearance and maintain that facade for years, maybe even decades, at a time, it would be incredibly simple to work in an explanation for the dark wizard permanently changing his appearance. Fantastic Beasts even establishes that Grindelwald is one of the most wanted wizards in Europe, which gives him plenty of reason to disguise his identity. As such, it would be easy for Warner Bros. could bring Farrell back to play the disguised Grindelwald. Or, if they decided it doesn’t make sense for Grindelwald to adopt the guise of Graves again, the franchise could have multiple actors portray the character, with Grindelwald adopting different appearances in order to stay in hiding. This would effectively write Depp out of the series while maintaining continuity.

Or, if the story of Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise necessitates the same actor play Grindelwald throughout, Warner Bros. could feasibly recast the role and go back to replace Depp’s brief appearance in the first film. There are a number of talented actors in Hollywood at the moment who have a knack for creating unique characters and would no doubt be able to give a compelling performance as the villainous Grindelwald. If Warner Bros. didn’t want to bring back Farrell – or the actor didn’t want to return to the role – there are a number of men who could join the Fantastic Beasts franchise and work as an excellent foil to Jude Law’s portrayal of the younger Albus Dumbledore.

During the promotional lead-up to Fantastic Beasts, Yates said Depp’s casting as Grindelwald was because, “He’s fearless, he’s imaginative, he’s ambitious. We thought he’d do something fun and special.” Later producer David Heyman said the production was “looking for someone who was seductive and could be charming and could be original, who was iconic, who was a great actor” and they eventually landed on Depp as Grindelwald. However, Depp isn’t the only actor capable of portraying Grindelwald – and despite the opinions of Yates, Heyman, and even Rowling, he may not be the best person to portray Grindelwald.

Related: Is Jude Law the Right Actor for the Role of Dumbledore?

Fans have suggested the likes of German actor Daniel Brühl, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (who’s no stranger to villain roles considering he’s played Hannibal Lecter and Doctor Strange’s Kaecilius), as well as British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. But these three names are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of actors in Hollywood who should have a shot at the role: Ewan McGregor, Tom Hardy, Dan Stevens, Ben Barnes, Neil Patrick Harris, Scoot McNairy, JJ Feild, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Cillian Murphy, Rufus Sewell, and Daniel Craig are just a handful of talented actors who could prove to do just as much, if not more, with Grindelwald than Depp. Or perhaps they could even bring back Jamie Campbell Bower (with some aging makeup), who played a young version of the character in flashbacks for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Ultimately, however, the decision to recast Depp as Grindelwald is up to Yates, Rowling, and Warner Bros. – and if their support of Depp up to this point is any indication, they’re not inclined to change course. Certainly, Depp still has a great number of fans and supporters, many in Hollywood itself. In Yates’ most recent defense of Depp being cast as Grindelwald, the director mentioned the recent wave of victims coming forward with allegations about all manner of sexual harassment, assault and abuse in Hollywood, but argues Depp is different because there was “one person who took a pop at him and claimed something.” In light of this comment – which perpetuates the kind of culture in which men like Weinstein and Spacey could have long, successful careers – it would seem Yates and those involved in the Fantastic Beasts franchise have no intention of recasting Depp.

Still, with The Crimes of Grindelwald inevitably receiving a marketing blitz over the next year ahead of its 2018 release, fans will undoubtedly keep criticizing the studio’s choice to have Depp remain in the role of Grindelwald. As recent productions like All the Money in the World have proved, Warner Bros. could feasibly still recast the role even after production has finished. Perhaps the studio is waiting to see the critical and financial response to The Crimes of Grindelwald before making such a big change, although if we look at Depp’s most recent history, it’s difficult to understand why they would believe him to be a guarantee of success in either realm.

In all likelihood, Warner Bros. is banking much more on the Harry Potter franchise name than on Depp’s. And, given the criticism of the actor playing a central role in a media franchise that has brought comfort to victims of all kinds of violence around the world for the last two decades, Warner Bros. recasting Grindelwald would be a welcome – and, more importantly, necessary – response.

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