Mads Mikkelsen wishes he could have talked to Johnny Depp about replacing him in Fantastic Beasts role

Mads Mikkelsen would have "loved to have talked to" Johnny Depp about replacing him in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

The 55-year-old actor is taking over the role of Gellert Grindelwald from the Pirates of the Caribbean star after he exited the film series earlier this year when he lost his libel trial against The Sun newspaper - who branded him a "wife-beater" due to allegations about his marriage to Amber Heard - and though he's aware the casting reshuffle was "controversial", he's tried to pay no attention to the speculation surrounding his predecessor.

He said: "I mean, obviously, they were going to do the film, and obviously he was not involved any more.

"But I didn't have a dog in that fight. And I don't know what happened [in his private life], and I don't know if it was fair, him losing the job, but I just knew that the show was going on, and I would've loved to have talked to him about it if I had the chance, but I just don't know him in that sense.

"But they called me and they were obviously in a hurry, and I loved the script and so said yes. And I know it was controversial for many people, but that's just the way it plays out once in a while."

Mads wanted to put his own take on playing Grindelwald as he thinks it would be "creative suicide" to just mimic Johnny's performance.

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He told the Times' Saturday Review: "I didn't want to copy what Johnny had done. I think he's a masterful actor, so copying him would've been creative suicide.

"I had to figure out something that was definitely my own, and yet also act as a bridge to what he had done.

"My take is different, and the look is a little different, but we'll have to wait for the film's release [next year] to find out."