With the unfortunate exit of Johnny Depp from the role of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Warner Bros' 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise, it seems like the doors for other talented actors, to get a shot at essaying the evil character, have opened and how!
With the unfortunate exit of Johnny Depp from the role of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Warner Bros' 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise, it seems like the doors for other talented actors, to get a shot at essaying the evil character, have opened and how!
For the unversed, in a statement released on Friday, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star revealed that he had been asked to resign from the said role, adding that he had 'agreed' to the request.
The production house's 'request' came after Johnny lost a libel battle with a British tabloid that he had sued for labelling him a "wife-beater" during his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.
Consequently, the events unfolded in a rather ill-fated manner for Depp, but, it sure has come as an opportunity for another as the production house will be looking as recasting someone to play the said role.
And while the popular and acclaimed franchise is adapted from J.K Rowling's book by the same name, and has a male playing the role in both the book and the adapted films, taking a writer's creative liberty, we thought what if the role was to be played by a female? Would it make any difference?
Well, we think not since the unmatchable talent and inimitable style of some of the female Hollywood stars, who have played antagonist far too well to turn the roles they have essayed into iconic characters, have us believe that they could do a rather good job at playing Grindelwald themselves.
For for the record, casting a female would do cinephiles more good to give us more female villains, the dearth of which is evidently visible on Google when one searches for iconic female villains of all times.
So, if were to believe that Warner Bros is looking for a female actor to play Grindelwald, hypothetically speaking, here are our top five choices. Take a look.
1. Helena Bonham Carter
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A true master when it comes to immersing herself in roles, Helena, as the strangely-proportional, cruel monster Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland or the evil, villainous and mad cousin of Sirius Black in the famous Harry Potter film series, sure knows how to mesmerise the audiences with an unforgetful performance.
Considering the iconic performances of Helena as a charismatic wretch in the above-mentioned two films, it would not be wrong to say that the actor certainly knows her way into the hearts and minds of the viewers even while she is playing the antagonist.
Therefore, keeping in mind her solid on-screen presence and her dedicated approach towards getting everything about her character right -- from its hair, makeup, outfits to even the accent or voice -- is what has convinced us to list her as our very first choice for the role of Grindelwald (not that the list has been made based on any order as such).
2. Angelina Jolie
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Angelina as the dark fantasy fairy Maleficient is majestically mesmerising.
A show-stealer, there's no denying the fact that Angelina, as the powerful and villainous Disney fairy, did a stupendous job of portraying the charter despite physical constraints such as a prosthetic nose, cheeks, teeth and ears, contact lenses and a set of heavy horns atop her head. Considering Angelina's charismatic performance as Maleficinet: Mistress of Evil, we believe that the star would wield the same magnetism on-screen if she is cast as the dark wizard Grindelwald.
3. Anne Hathaway
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Anne Hathaway, who played the nefarious role of the Grand High Witch in the recent Hollywood flick 'The Witches', swayed the audiences with her devilishly grand performance as the ruthless, terrifying ruler of all witches.
Anne Hathaway's unhinged performance as the Grand High Witch and her commanding presence on-screen, considering this was the first time the otherwise effervescent Anne played a villain, we believe that she could do a fantastic job of playing the cunning and dishevelled villain Grindelwald.
4. Jennifer Lawrence
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Jennifer's portrayal of the shape-shifting mutant Mystique in the X-Men series has us believe that she surely can shapeshift into Grindelwald and easy the role as effortlessly and magnificently as her magnetic on-screen persona.
5. Cate Blanchett
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Cate is like a luminous thunderbolt who lights up every film with her outstanding and breathtaking performances. Her class act as Thor's older sister and Goddess of Death Hela could give any male actor playing villain a run for his money.
Cate's remarkable portrayal of the supervillain Hela, who promises destruction and wrath to all those who mess with her, has us assured that she can do justice if cast to fill in the big shoes of Johnny Depp as Grindelwald.
