"Let's see if he comes back."
While the next entry in the franchise still hasn't been officially greenlit over at Warner Bros., Mads Mikkelsen is remaining optimistic about heading back to studio - and potentially being joined by a former star in the series.
Could Johnny Depp be returning to the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise? Mads Mikkelsen seems to think so.
Let's face it - the 'Fantastic Beasts' series of movies has been underwhelming, to say the least. Not only have the 'Harry Potter' prequel movies failed to capture the magic that made the eight Daniel Radliffe-led entries so enjoyable, they've also been plagued by behind-the-scenes drama that has turned fans away from the franchise altogether.
With Wizarding World creator J.K. Rowling and her Transphobic rhetoric online, Depp and his court case with ex-wife Amber Heard, and star Ezra Miller's recent run-in with the law, the franchise hasn't had an easy ride.
The most recent entry in the series, 'The Secrets of Dumbledore', hit cinemas earlier this year and featured Danish actor Mikkelsen taking over from Depp as the series' main antagonist Gellert Grindelwald. Depp stood down from his role, after being asked by Warner Bros. to exit the franchise off the back of his ongoing legal battle with Amber Heard and The Sun newspaper.
However, in a recent interview with Deadline, Mikkelsen hinted that Depp could once again return. He said: "He won the suit, the court [case]—so let's see if he comes back.
"He might," he continued. "I'm a big fan of Johnny. I think he's an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job."
Should 'Fantastic Beasts' four get the green light, and Mikkelsen is to be believed, it would be interesting to see how Johnny Depp could end up returning back into the 'Fantastic Beasts' fold once again. According to the series' plan, there will be five movies in total.
Jurors in the Depp vs. Heard trial sided with the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor in June of this year. Depp, who denied abusing his ex-wife, was awarded $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages while Heard won one of three counter-claims and was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages.