The first footage from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore reveals the first look at Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald. Warner Bros.' Harry Potter prequel franchise began in 2017 as a new series mostly disconnected from the larger Wizarding World. It wasn't until Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's ending that audiences were treated to the surprise that the film's villain was actually Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp. The actor returned to play a central role in the sequel and was meant to be featured again in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore before some controversy came his way.

It was announced in late 2020 that Johnny Depp wasn't returning for Fantastic Beasts 3. This left the franchise with a major hole to fill, as Grindelwald was firmly entrenched in the prequel story. Warner Bros. moved quickly to find Depp's replacement, and despite great support for Colin Farrell to return, the studio cast Mads Mikkelsen as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore's new Grindelwald. Mikkelsen filmed his Harry Potter debut over the course of the last year, but his take on the powerful wizard was never glimpsed through set photos.

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The first look at Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald has now arrived thanks to a new Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Grindelwald video. It announces that the full trailer for the upcoming film will be released next Monday, but Warner Bros. treated audiences to some footage from the movie already. The debut of Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald is included in the Fantastic Beasts 3 teaser, which can be seen below:

Click Here to Watch the Video on Youtube

The first look at Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald isn't substantial, but it does provide audiences with a tease of how he'll look in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Grindelwald's usual suit attire is kept for Mikkelsen's take on the character, although he doesn't have the same spiked hair look that Johnny Depp sported in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The quick look at him doesn't provide much context for his role in the sequel, as Grindelwald is only shown surrounded by angry muggles. With the full Fantastic Beasts 3 trailer coming shortly, that could be a place for more of his role to be revealed.

Based on the ending of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Mikkelsen's role in the movie should largely be tied to Credence after revealing Ezra Miller's character is actually a Dumbledore. There's also the chance for Grindelwald's relationship with Albus Dumbledore to be properly explored in the upcoming film. The first Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore teaser doesn't do much to tease Grindelwald's involvement in either storyline, but the full trailer could do just that.

More: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Is A Cheap WB Trick

Source: Warner Bros.

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