Mads Mikkelsen has responded to the rumour that he will be replacing Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3.
According to reports, the 55-year-old Casino Royale star is director David Yates' pick to fill the role of villain Grindelwald in the Harry Potter prequel series following Depp's departure.
When IGN asked him about it, he said: "Oh, that is on the rumour basis as we speak. So I know as much as you do from the newspapers. So I'm waiting for that phone call."
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Depp was dropped by Warner Bros when he lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper and executive editor Dan Wootton. Despite this, the 57-year-old will still get his full salary for the role, even though he only filmed one scene.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Pirates of The Caribbean star will still be entitled to what is said to be an eight-figure deal with the studio, meaning he'll walk away with at least $10 million (£7.6m).
Filming started for the movie on 20 September in London and Depp had what is known as a 'pay-or-play contract' which requires him to be fully compensated whether or not the film is made - even if he is recast.
The libel case centred on whether an article published in The Sun, in which Depp was called a 'wife beater', was libellous.
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Depp argued the case had been aggravated by his name being included alongside that of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, as well as the fact The Sun retained the article on its website.
The case was decided on the balance of probabilities - a lower standard than required in a criminal case.
The Sun's article claimed that Depp had assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard, leading to a legal battle which has been described as the biggest English libel trial of the 21st century.
The newspaper claimed to have seen 'overwhelming evidence' that Depp had attacked the 34-year-old Heard, while Depp strenuously denies those allegations.
Both Depp and Heard ended up giving evidence in the 16-day-long trial, which aired the tempestuous nature of their relationship, and stories of both brutal violence and intimate detail.
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Following the ruling, a spokesperson for The Sun said: "The Sun has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over twenty years.
"Domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the Judge for his careful consideration and thank Amber Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court."
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