If you’ve tried to keep track of the Fantastic Beasts movies, you’ve probably noticed something weird. The main villain, Gellert Grindelwald, looks like a completely different person every time he walks onto the screen. It’s not just a haircut. It’s a whole new human being.
Mads Mikkelsen is currently the actor playing Grindelwald, having stepped into the role for the most recent film, The Secrets of Dumbledore. He took over from Johnny Depp, who played the dark wizard in the first two installments—well, mostly.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a mess.
Between legal battles, "creative" magical disguises, and flashbacks, there are actually four different actors who have officially portrayed this character. If you’re confused about who is playing Grindelwald right now and why the studio keeps swapping them out like trading cards, here is the breakdown of the real-world drama and the lore that got us here.
The Current Grindelwald: Mads Mikkelsen
Right now, Mads Mikkelsen is the definitive face of the character.
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When Warner Bros. needed a replacement in 2020, they went for someone with serious villain credentials. You probably know Mikkelsen from Hannibal or as the guy crying blood in Casino Royale. He brings a totally different vibe to the role. While Johnny Depp’s version was theatrical—think spiky white hair, a pale contact lens, and a rock-star aesthetic—Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald is much more grounded.
He looks like a politician.
In The Secrets of Dumbledore, Mikkelsen plays the character as a suave, manipulative leader who could actually convince a crowd to follow him. He’s scary because he seems reasonable. There’s no magical explanation in the movie for why he looks different; the film basically just asks the audience to go with it.
Mikkelsen has mentioned in interviews that he didn’t want to copy Depp. He wanted to build a bridge between what came before and his own interpretation. Most critics actually preferred this version, though the die-hard Depp fans were, understandably, pretty vocal about the change.
The Johnny Depp Era and the Resignation
Johnny Depp was the face of the franchise for years.
He made his first surprise appearance at the very end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and then led the sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). His performance was polarizing. Some loved the "weirdness" he brought to the Wizarding World, while others felt it was a bit too much like Jack Sparrow with a wand.
So, what happened?
In November 2020, Depp was asked to resign by Warner Bros. This happened right after he lost a high-profile libel case in the UK involving allegations of domestic abuse. Even though he had already filmed one scene for the third movie, the studio decided to move in a different direction to avoid the PR nightmare.
Because of his "pay-or-play" contract, Depp actually received his full $16 million salary for the third movie despite only being on set for one day. Not a bad day’s work, financially speaking, but it marked the end of his time in the Harry Potter universe.
The "Fake" Grindelwald: Colin Farrell
We can't talk about who is playing Grindelwald without mentioning the guy who played him for 90% of the first movie.
Colin Farrell played Percival Graves, a high-ranking official at MACUSA (the American version of the Ministry of Magic). The big twist at the end of the film was that Graves didn't actually exist—or rather, Grindelwald had been using Human Transfiguration to impersonate him the whole time.
Farrell’s performance was electric.
Many fans still argue that he was the best version of the character. He had this quiet, simmering menace that felt very "wizarding world." When he transformed into Johnny Depp at the end of the first film, a lot of people in the theater were actually disappointed because they wanted more of Farrell.
There was some talk about bringing Farrell back after Depp left, but he was busy filming The Batman as the Penguin, and the timeline didn't work out. Plus, the story had already established that the Graves face was just a mask.
The Flashback Actor: Jamie Campbell Bower
Then there’s the "Young Grindelwald."
Jamie Campbell Bower is the only actor to play the character in both the original Harry Potter series and the Fantastic Beasts prequel series. You might recognize him as Vecna from Stranger Things now, but back in 2010, he appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 during the flashbacks of Dumbledore’s youth.
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He returned for a brief cameo in The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Even though he doesn't have many lines, his look—the blonde hair and the arrogant smirk—is exactly how the character was described in the books. He captures that "dangerous boy" energy that supposedly made a young Albus Dumbledore fall in love with him.
Every Actor Who Has Played Gellert Grindelwald
| Actor | Movie(s) | Role Context |
|---|---|---|
| Colin Farrell | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Disguised as Percival Graves |
| Johnny Depp | FB 1 & The Crimes of Grindelwald | The "original" primary version |
| Mads Mikkelsen | The Secrets of Dumbledore | The current/recast version |
| Jamie Campbell Bower | Deathly Hallows Pt 1 & FB 2 | Young Grindelwald (Flashbacks) |
Why the Recasting Actually Matters
Consistency is usually king in big franchises. When Marvel replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle as War Machine, it was a one-time thing. But with Grindelwald, the constant shifting of faces has sort of hurt the character's "brand."
It’s hard to build a legendary villain when the audience has to keep re-learning what he looks like.
However, in the world of Harry Potter, changing your face is actually a plot point. Characters use Polyjuice Potion or Transfiguration all the time. While the movies didn't give a specific magical reason for the Depp-to-Mikkelsen jump, fans have come up with their own head-canon: Grindelwald is a master of disguise who changes his appearance to suit his needs or to hide from the authorities.
It’s a neat way to fix a production problem with lore, even if it wasn't the original plan.
Is There Going to Be a Fifth Grindelwald?
The big question now is: what’s next?
As of early 2026, the Fantastic Beasts franchise is effectively on ice. The Secrets of Dumbledore didn't exactly set the box office on fire, and Warner Bros. seems more focused on the upcoming Harry Potter TV series for Max.
Jude Law (who plays Dumbledore) and Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) have both expressed that they haven't heard anything about a fourth or fifth movie.
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If the series does ever come back, Mads Mikkelsen has said he’d be open to returning. But given how things have gone so far, it wouldn't be shocking if we saw yet another actor take up the wand. For now, if someone asks you who is playing Grindelwald, the answer is Mads—but the history is a whole lot more complicated than that.
What to Watch Next
If you want to see the evolution of the character for yourself, the best way is to watch the films in this specific order to see the actors transition:
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Watch for Colin Farrell’s nuanced performance).
- The Crimes of Grindelwald (This gives you the full Johnny Depp experience).
- The Secrets of Dumbledore (To see Mads Mikkelsen’s more political take).
If you’re a fan of Jamie Campbell Bower, his scenes are mostly in the second Fantastic Beasts movie and the first Deathly Hallows film, though they are very brief. Keeping an eye on the official Warner Bros. Discovery press releases is the only way to know if a fourth movie will ever materialize, but for now, the story of Grindelwald's many faces remains one of the most chaotic casting histories in Hollywood.