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Mads Mikkelsen is "in early talks" to replace Johnny Depp in the next Fantastic Beasts movie.

According to Variety, Depp had shot just one scene for Fantastic Beasts 3 before being asked to step down by Warner Bros., so Mikkelsen would be able to hit the ground running.

Mikkelsen, known for his work in Hannibal, Doctor Strange, and Casino Royale, would take over Depp's role as the dangerous Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald – a character who in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World is second in menace only to Harry Potter's nemesis Lord Voldemort. Given Mikkelsen's previous credits, it sounds like a role he'd really be able to knock out of the park.

Depp appeared very briefly as Grindelwald in 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them before taking on a more integral role in 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. He was due to return for the third movie, but revealed on Instagram last week that he'd been "asked to resign" from the franchise. Earlier in the week, the actor had lost his high-profile libel trial against the U.K.'s The Sun newspaper, which centered on allegations of abuse by his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Shooting on Fantastic Beasts 3 began in the U.K. in September with Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, and Jessica Williams all returning. Following a push-back it's now set for release on July 15, 2022.

Mikkelsen has recently been cast opposite Armie Hammer in espionage movie The Billion Dollar Spy, so he's definitely looking booked and busy for the foreseeable future.

Can you picture Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald?