Hannibal icon Mads Mikkelsen will replace Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise.
Warner Bros Pictures confirmed the casting news to CNN and Deadline.
Depp said earlier this month he had been asked to step down from the role of Gellert Grindelwald after he lost a real-life libel lawsuit against a British newspaper that described him as an abusive husband during his marriage to actress Amber Heard.
The third movie in the Fantastic Beasts series is in production now in England. It is set for release July 15, 2022.
The prequels to the Harry Potter blockbusters also star Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler and Ezra Miller.
