Fantastic Beasts 3 has officially announced that Mads Mikkelsen will replace Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald, but the movie still has another big problem with the character that it needs to fix. Since the first movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the prequel series from J.K. Rowling has struggled to make Grindelwald into a good villain, especially in comparison to Voldemort. Although Grindelwald has a unique backstory and a different personality than the original Harry Potter villain, the movies have failed to capitalize on this.
With Depp leaving the production, the series has the opportunity to rethink the character and add more dimension to Grindelwald. Mads Mikkelsen is a great choice to replace Depp since not only he’s able to play charismatic villains but he’s also capable of adding depth to their characters, elevating caricatures into menacing but persuasive figures. It’s no wonder Mikkelsen’s most iconic role so far has been Hannibal Lecter on the NBC series Hannibal.
Fundamenatally, however, Fantastic Beasts 3 needs to do more than simply relying on Mikkelsen’s charisma to fix its issues with Grindelwald’s character. After two less-than-stellar movies, Fantastic Beasts 3’s performance will save or ruin the franchise, which is why focusing on making Grindelwald work as a villain needs to be one of its goals. Even before he appeared on the screen, Voldemort was an effective, powerful enemy thanks to the reputation he gained during the First Wizarding War. But Grindelwald is a schemer still trying to rise in power, so when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald begins with a prison escape, the audience doesn’t feel apprehension or worry. The movies' attempts at making Grindelwald intimidating fail to understand the dark wizard’s true potential as a character.
The most interesting aspect of Grindelwald is not his dark powers or his evil actions, but his relationship with Dumbledore. If Fantastic Beasts 3 wants to fix the series's mistakes, it needs to show us their connection. The fact that the two most powerful wizards alive refuse to fight each other because they are in love is a story rich with conflict, drama, and tragedy. For fans of the original Harry Potter books and movies, the choices Dumbledore made to fight Voldemort revealed his manipulative side, but the audience never had the chance to understand the man behind the Hogwarts headmaster.
Not only exploring that would add dimension to Grindelwald, but it would also reveal another side of Dumbledore. Unfortunately, so far the series has barely mentioned their relationship. But perhaps now with a new actor and J.K. Rowling sharing writing credits with Steve Kloves, there is a chance Fantastic Beasts 3 will turn Grindelwald into a more complex villain, one that is not just a copy of Voldemort but has his own unique style.
