Reported by both Collider and The Leaky Cauldron, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them director David Yates has confirmed that Johnny Depp will be playing the pivotal role of Gellert Grindewald in the sequel to this months Harry Potter prequel film.
In addition to this news, the production is searching for an actor to portray a young Albus Dumbledore along with confirming that he production will return to the UK.
Yates, who is also directing the sequel film, in regards to Depp’s casting, stated:
“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.”
Grindewald was considered one of the most dangerous Dark Wizards of all time and was in possession of the Elder Wand (One of the Deathly Hallows). He had a close friendship with Albus Dumbledore and their rivalry ended with Grindewald’s defeat. It will be interesting to see how that relationship is portrayed with Depp. As far as the filming locations for the sequel, Yates says that “We do go back to the U.K. in the second film as well–it’s U.K. and Paris. I’m not sure where Jo is setting the rest of the movies, but they’ll be European-centric. I think it will be difficult to ignore America, but the next one is predominately Europe.”
What do you think about these new revelations about this highly anticipated sequel? Let us know what you think.
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