After days of speculation it has been confirmed that Johnny Depp is to play Gellert Grindelwald in the sequel to Harry Potter spinoff "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" reports NME.
Depp was confirmed to be joining the sequel earlier this month, with "Fantastic Beasts" director David Yates now confirming that the actor will play the former friend and love interest of Albus Dumbledore.
Commenting on the casting in an interview with fansite The Leaky Cauldron, Yates said, "The whole principal of casting the movie was go with the best actor. Go for the most inspired, interesting, right fit for that character. And as we approached Grindelwald we thought, ‘Who's going to take this in an interesting direction?'"
"Johnny Depp is a real artist. He's created several characters who have really resonated in our popular culture. He's a really brilliant, brilliant actor. We were excited about seeing what he would do with this guy, the character."
Although he is only touched on in the books, Grindelwald is set to play a much larger role in the movie.
A younger Dumbledore is also set to appear in the film, with the casting process reportedly underway for the role.
