Mads Mikkelsen has spoken out after he was officially cast to replace Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3.
The 55-year-old Danish actor will take on the role of Gellert Grindelwald after Warner Bros. asked Depp to stand down following the loss of his libel lawsuit against The Sun.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen explained how his performance will differ to Depp's, saying: "Well it's going to be me, so that's a difference."
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He continued: "No, this is the tricky part. We're still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own.
"But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn't completely detach from what he's already masterfully achieved."
Mikkelsen also touched on the fact that he would be taking on the role under extremely unusual circumstances.
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He said: "Job-wise, it's obviously super interesting and nice. It's also a shocker that it came after what happened, which is just super sad.
"I wish both of them the best. These are sad circumstances. I hope both of them will be back in the saddle again really soon."
Depp lost the case at the beginning of November and will now have to pay a substantial amount of money in legal costs to News Group Newspapers.
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The legal battle centred on whether an article published in The Sun - in which Depp was called a 'wife beater' - was libellous.
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 truth of the matter was decided on the balance of probabilities, a lower standard than required in a criminal case.
For their part, The Sun claimed to have seen 'overwhelming evidence' that Depp had attacked the 34-year-old Heard, whilst Depp strenuously denies those allegations.
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Both Depp and Heard ended up giving evidence the 16-day-long trial, which aired the tempestuous nature of their relationship, and stories of both brutal violence and intimate detail.
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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