Mads Mikkelsen officially takes over Johnny Depp's role as the villainous Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the forthcoming third installment of "Fantastic Beast." 

(Photo : Stefania M. D'Alessandro/Getty Images for RFF)
"Druk" Red Carpet - 15th Rome Film Festival 2020 ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 20: Mads Mikkelsen attends the red carpet of the movie "Druk" during the 15th Rome Film Festival on October 20, 2020 in Rome, Italy.

According to IB Times, the news came days following rumors swirled that Mikkelsen will play Gellert Grindelwald after Depp's resignation. Mikkelsen will be the antagonist in "Fantastic Beasts 3," Warner Bros. confirmed to E! News. 

An insider said that Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, and Ezra Miller are filming at Studios Leavesden; during summer 2022, "Fantastic Beasts 3" is expected to hit theaters after it was moved from its initial release date, November 12, 2021, as per the Variety. However, Warner Bros. did not announce the exact release date of the film yet.

The Danish star said that there had been no discussions yet before the confirmation of replacing Depp in the "Harry Potter" spinoff series. 

Read also: Amber Heard Admits to Physically Abusing Her Ex-Husband, Johnny Depp

Earlier this month, Johnny Depp revealed that Warner Bros. urged him to resign after losing a legal battle against The Sun, a British tabloid, about an article referring to him as a "wife-beater." The report was related to his ex-wife Amber Heard's accusations that Depp was physically abusive to her during their marriage.

Depp wrote on Instagram with regards to his resignation, "I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts' and I have respected and agreed to that request."

(Photo : Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for ZFF)
"Crock of Gold: A few Rounds with Shane McGowan" Premiere - 16th Zurich Film Festival ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - OCTOBER 02: Johnny Depp attends the "Crock of Gold: A few Rounds with Shane McGowan" premiere during the 16th Zurich Film Festival at Kino Corso on October 02, 2020 in Zurich, Switzerland.

At the time, in a statement to ET, Warner Bros. confirmed the news saying that Johnny Depp will no longer be a part of the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. The company thanked Johnny for his work on the films and added that they are currently in production and the role of Grindelwald will be recast. 

Mads Mikkelsen is a 55-year0old Danish star who first became a gymnast and dancer. In 1996, Mikkelsen rose to fame in Danish-language films and started appearing on TV and in movies. 

Mikkelsen won the role of villain Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, as per Entertainment Daily. Mad's older brother is also a famous actor. Lars Mikkelsen starred in The Killin, Charles Magnussen in BBC One's Sherlock, and plays Stregobor in Netflix's The Wither.

Mads rose to fame for his role in the first two films of the Pusher film trilogy as Tonny. The actor achieved worldwide recognition for playing the antagonist role in Casino Royale, the 21st James Bond film, in 2006.

In 2012, Mads won a Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his role as Lucas in The Hunt, and between 2013 and 2015, he played Dr. Hannibal Leter in the Hannibal, a television series.

Read also: Justice for Johnny Depp: Twitter Users React to Actor's Lost on Libel Case Against The Sun