Johnny Depp made his debut as Gellert Grindelwald in 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, although his presence was brief. He appeared at the end of the film after it was discovered that Colin Farrell's character had taken a shapeshifting potion to mislead his opponents. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will place Depp in the driver's seat though, as his villainous character escapes custody and wreaks havoc.
Depp recently confirmed with Collider that he will be returning for Fantastic Beasts 3 (there will be five movies in the franchise). This is no surprise to avid Harry Potter fans, as we watched Voldemort kill Grindelwald decades later in The Death Hallows Part 1. Some Harry Potter fans petitioned to have Depp removed from the series after several stories about his drinking adventures and tumultuous relationship made headlines across the nation. Potter creator JK Rowling came to his defense, and supported his casting despite Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard's domestic abuse allegations.
"I loved it," answered Depp when asked if he enjoyed his role in the Wizarding World. "I loved it because that’s really an arena where you can fly around and try different things and approach a character with a lot more…um…to take someone who is teetering on being a fascist, yeah he’s a fascist, he’s one of those, but to play him as a sensitive, concerned yet manipulative and powerful wizard. The possibilities in that world are wide open, so you can really try anything. So it was a gas and I look forward to the next installment, which I think we start the middle of next year."
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters on November 16.
