Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Review Roundup

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity releases for Switch on November 20 as the Switch’s last major exclusive for 2020, and with the review embargo over many critics are weighing in on the game. Reviews for the new game have been largely positive, although not everyone has been effusive about the latest Zelda title.

Age of Calamity is now a traditional Zelda game–it’s the second installment in the Hyrule Warriors franchise, a musou game where players face huge hordes of enemies at once. Think Dynasty Warriors, but with Zelda enemies rather than other people.

This game also ties directly into the Switch launch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild–it’s a prequel, showing the events leading up to the situation Link finds himself in at the game’s beginning.

The Switch version of the first game, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition earned an 8/10 from GameSpot in 2018. Another Nintendo musou style game, Fire Emblem Warriors, released in 2017.

  • Game: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
  • Platforms: Nintendo Switch
  • Developer: Koei Tecmo, Omega Force
  • Release Date: November 20
  • Price: $60 / £50 / $80 AUD

Below are a selection of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity reviews from all over the internet, including GameSpot’s own. For even more, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

GameSpot – 6/10

“It’s strange to think of a bungled story leaving me so lukewarm on a Zelda game, even if it is a spin-off. But paying off its premise is the burden a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is tasked with. The main reason I dove into Age of Calamity is because I love its world and the history it tries to remember. So for a game to retread them and proclaim to have something new to say when its inspiration’s most striking moments come from what it leaves unsaid is a big ask. But my problem with Age of Calamity isn’t that it fails to live up to that responsibility. It’s that it doesn’t even try.” — Suriel Vazquez [Full Review]

Eurogamer – Recommended

“Age of Calamity ultimately puts me to mind of the scene at the end of Takeshi Kitano’s take on Zatoichi, another fresh spin on a beloved classic, where the entire cast – whether dead or alive – gets together for one big musical number on the same old set. Only this time it’s the stars of Breath of the Wild getting together for a good old-fashioned musou knees-up in what’s a bawdy and frequently brilliant brawler. Of all the many musou spin-offs, Age of Calamity can well lay claim to being the best yet.” — Martin Robinson [Full Review]

IGN – 9/10

“Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offers a welcome trip back to a world I’ve clocked hundreds of hours in. Its hugely varied roster of characters, solid combat mechanics, fun progression and clever adaptation of Breath of the Wild’s vision of Hyrule is a joy to play and discover. While there are some missed characterisation opportunities, Age of Calamity is still a blast from start to finish.” — Cam Shea [Full Review]

VG247 – 4/5

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t just one of the better entries in this storied series – it’s also one of the greatest games of all time. To this end, the mission of living up to its inspiration is perhaps impossible for Age of Calamity. It is nevertheless successful at what it sets out to do, however – providing a fun, interesting and exciting new adventure that fans of that game will surely enjoy.” — Alex Donaldson [Full Review]

Game Informer – 7.5/10

“Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity looks a lot like Breath of the Wild, but it lacks the exploration and puzzle-solving elements that define the mainline Legend of Zelda series. Age of Calamity may not resemble a traditional Zelda game, but it’s not a bad time. The action is repetitive, but also relaxed and comfortable. It trades on your love for Nintendo’s classic franchise, and I was happy for the excuse to return to this version of Hyrule. I still feel like I’m chasing Breath of the Wild’s high, and Age of Calamity is a small solace.” — Ben Reeves [Full Review]

VGC – 3/5

“This is an entertaining ode to Breath of the Wild that will comfortably fill the gap as we wait for a proper sequel. But it overachieves while it underperforms and that’s a tricky thing to judge. It makes you want to whip out your ocarina and play the Song of Time, teleporting to a point where there’s an updated Switch capable of doing the game justice. There’s greatness here, just out of reach.” — Matthew Castle [Full Review]

Now Playing: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Video Review

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New Among Us Map Teased, Announcement Coming At The Game Awards

One of the most popular games on the planet, Among Us, is seemingly getting a new map, and the official announcement may not be far off.

An official Twitter account for Among Us has appeared, and its first tweet contained a teaser image for the game’s new map. The image shows what looks to the control deck of a ship, complete with a captain’s chair and various control panels.

A follow-up tweet tells fans that they can expect more news during The Game Awards on December 10. That’s the annual awards show run by industry veteran Geoff Keighley. Just recently, the full list of nominees were announced, and Among Us is nominated for Best Multiplayer and Best Mobile Game.

The awards show normally doubles as an announcement event for new games and content, and it now seems Among Us will have something to share during the show.

Among Us was originally released in 2018, but it gained a new level of popularity earlier in 2020 and it has since become a bonafide hit.

Developer Innersloth announced Among Us 2, but the studio put the game on hold so it could focus on expanding and improving upon the first title.

Recently, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led a livestream event for the game before the US Presidential election where she played with popular streamers (and other politicians) and encouraged people to vote. After the huge popularity of that stream, AOC said she plans to return with a second Among Us stream.

Now Playing: AOC Plays Among Us – Best Moments From The Stream

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – PS5 Vs Xbox Series X

The next generation of video game consoles is here! In this video, we’ve got a side-by-side comparison of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. We’re putting the PlayStation 5 up against the Xbox Series X and comparing graphics and sounds from the first few missions of the campaign.

For the first time, Call of Duty has offered a cross-generational bundle of a game. If you pick up this special version, you’re able to cross-save between your last-gen console to your brand-new console released this year. You can also cross-save to another generation and platform. We’ve tested this out and were able to cross-save from a PlayStation 4 to an Xbox Series X with no issue.

In our review, Kallie Plagge explains, “It’s clear that a core theme of Cold War’s story is that things are more complicated than just good or evil, and the ways in which this sequel plays off the original Black Ops underscore that. But like many Call of Duty stories, it only gestures at a greater point and stops short of making it. It’s overall a fun action-movie story that absolutely delivers on the quintessential Black Ops twists and turns, but it ultimately walks back its more interesting and relevant questions–though I was completely invested in the story for the entire duration.”

New Apex Legends Update Fixes Season 7 Battle Pass Challenges

Developer Respawn has released the patch notes for the latest update for Apex Legends, which is now live. The new update addresses the unfair grind of Season 7: Ascension‘s battle pass by changing how challenges work, and also makes several other in-game adjustments.

At the start of Season 7, the format of weekly challenges changed from what’s been used from Season 2: Battle Charge through Season 6: Boosted. Challenges dropped recurring weekly challenges, making it more difficult to level in the battle pass without putting some serious hours into the game each week.

Plus, weekly challenges became more specific, and thus harder to complete. For example, Season 6 had challenges where you had to play a certain amount of games using specific characters, but Season 7 adjusted these types of challenges so that players were forced to play as one specific character for a certain number of games. This was especially unfair for players who hadn’t bought and unlocked all of the characters, as challenges could now be geared towards the one character they might not have access to.

Thankfully, much of this is going away, as the format of weekly challenges is reverting back to the old format seen in previous seasons, starting with Week 3. The new stars (as opposed to points) system isn’t changing, but you shouldn’t have to worry about the new single character challenges anymore. In compensation for Weeks 1-2, Respawn is also awarding all players 10 free battle pass levels, regardless of how far they managed to get into Season 7’s battle pass so far. Just log in, and your levels should automatically unlock.

The remainder of the update is aimed at fixing bugs and exploits that have popped up in Apex Legends since the start of Season 7. For instance, the update removes the exploit that allowed players to place Rampart’s minigun on Crypto’s drone, giving squads an unfairly powerful (though silly) flying death machine. You can read the full patch notes below.

Apex Legends November 18 Update Patch Notes

  • Weekly Challenges have been adjusted back to Season 6 formating
  • 10 Battle Pass levels will be rewarded to all who log in
  • Rampart’s turret on Crypto’s drone
  • Audio adjustments
  • Misc fixes

Now Playing: Apex Legends Season 7 – Battle Pass Trailer

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Resident Evil Movie: 27 Easter Eggs, References, And Things You Didn’t Know About The Video Game Adaptation

Resident Evil Movie: 27 Easter Eggs, References, And Things You Didn’t Know About The Video Game Adaptation – GameSpot

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It’s been over 18 years since the first live-action Resident Evil movie hit theaters, bringing the iconic video game franchise to the big screen. Long before The Walking Dead resurrected the zombie subgenre of horror that was first brought to the forefront of pop culture by George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead films, this franchise of movies kicked off and would eventually consist of six different movies, following the adventures of Alice (Milla Jovovich) through a zombie-infested wasteland.

While that franchise has ended, there are a number of Resident Evil projects currently in the works, including live-action and animated Netflix shows. As far as adaptations go, though, the 2002 movie is where it all began. And now, the whole series is available on 4K Ultra HD. The set contains all six movies starring Jovovich, along with tons of special features that have been released over the years.

Getting to watch the movies in 4K for the first time seemed like the perfect time to take a long look at the original Resident Evil film, scour through the cast and crew audio commentary, and learn the secrets, references, and Easter eggs hidden within the film. Take a look below at 27 things we learned from 2002’s Resident Evil. After that, keep watching the franchise or check out our other deep dive horror galleries for movies like Halloween H20, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and the Silent Hill film.

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1. A familiar voice

1. A familiar voice

Though it’s an uncredited role, the first and last voice you hear in the film, providing narration, is none other than Jason Isaacs. Chances are you’ll best remember him as portraying Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie franchise.

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2.The opening shot

2.The opening shot

This opening shot, which starts as a pinpoint of light that zooms in to reveal the inside of the Umbrella Corporation laboratories, was conceived of on the first day of filming. According to director Paul W.S. Anderson, it was his way to pull viewers out of their worlds and into the world of Resident Evil.

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3. She's family

3. She’s family

This Umbrella Corporation employee is actually the sister of franchise producer Jeremy Bolt. What’s more, this isn’t the last time you’ll see her. She reappears later as an undead version of the same character.

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4. The elevator scene

4. The elevator scene

According to Bolt, this particular scene was born out of Anderson’s real-life fear of elevators. As a child, the director was in an elevator that crashed. Now, he won’t ever use them–but loves putting them in movies.

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5. This one's safe, though

5. This one’s safe, though

While this elevator scene may seem horrifying, you’ll be glad to know it’s not an actual elevator. Instead, a hydraulic rig was built to resemble one, which was able to move up and down six feet. What’s more, the flooring surrounding the elevator was made of a light wood that would easily break away if any force was applied, ensuring the actress with her head stuck between the doors was safe.

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6. The flashbacks

6. The flashbacks

If you’re wondering why the coloring of Alice’s flashbacks looks so different, that’s because Anderson used a computer to grade the colors. According to the director, he liked the way the grading made them look, compared to the rest of the film.

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7. A truly horrifying location

7. A truly horrifying location

The massive estate Alice wakes up in was, in actuality, a former barracks used by the Nazi party in Germany. According to the cast and crew, it once housed one of Hitler’s top regiments during World War II, and the upstairs of the structure featured padded cells with a one-way mirror, which were used for interrogations. Michelle Rodriguez was quick to note she found the entire building to be creepy and didn’t like wandering around it alone.

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8. Feed the birds

8. Feed the birds

The murder of crows Alice sees outside of the mansion are, in fact, not real. Rather than use real birds, they were computer-generated

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9. Drunk on set

9. Drunk on set

During this scene, in which Alice meets the commandos she will accompany into the Hive, the cast was actually intoxicated. Someone was celebrating a birthday and brought several bottles of wine to set, which everyone shared. “By the end of the night we were so out of it and so drunk and poor Paul was freaking because it was our last day,” Jovovich remembered.

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10. Michelle Rodriguez is a legit Resident Evil fan

10. Michelle Rodriguez is a legit Resident Evil fan

According to Rodriguez, she loves to play video games and is, in particular, a Resident Evil fan. In fact, long before Anderson even started work on a film, she told her agents that if the video game series was ever turned into a movie, she wanted to be involved.

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11. Alexi-5000

11. Alexi-5000

According to Anderson, the Alexi-5000 train interior was designed to resemble the Galaxie 5000 in the Resident Evil 2 video game.

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12. Those automatic doors

12. Those automatic doors

While this facility certainly looks high-tech, with automated doors allowing Alice and company to venture deeper into the Umbrella Corporation, the reality is a lot less exciting. According to Rodriguez, there were guys on either side of the door, pulling strings to open them.

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13. This room's not so big

13. This room’s not so big

This may seem like a cavernous room full of these massive containers, but that’s simply not the case. In fact, according to Bolt, the production only had about 12 of those boxes and simply moved them around the room for each shot to give the appearance of the area being much larger than it actually is.

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14. A very different Red Queen

14. A very different Red Queen

Of course, if you’ve seen the movie you know the Red Queen as a little girl with a British accent. However, she nearly sounded very different. Originally, the Red Queen was going to have an American accent. That audio was recorded and matched up with the film at one point, but was ultimately deemed to be a bad idea. “She sounded so sexually insinuating,” Jovovich said of the American voice for the Red Queen. Everyone decided it was best not to have a voice like that coming from the hologram of a child.

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15. Producer cameo

15. Producer cameo

This zombie is Bolt, who plays an extra a few times in the movie, though this is the only time you’ll clearly see his face.

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16. The stunt coordinator gets in on the action

16. The stunt coordinator gets in on the action

The zombie Alice fights in this scene is none other than stunt coordinator James Butler, who was responsible for a lot of Jovovich’s training for the film.

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17. About that dog scene

17. About that dog scene

According to Jovovich, most of the training she did for the film was put to use in this scene. In it she fights off a pack of zombie Dobermans, culminating in an impressive kick that sees Alice jumping off of a wall. “I trained about, I guess, in the end, three months, to do that sequence,” Jovovich said. It should also be noted she was attached to a wire while defying gravity.

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18. The paperweight

18. The paperweight

The paperweight Alice uses to smash the zombie over the head, according to Bolt, is an Alice in Wonderland paperweight. There are a number of references to Alice in Wonderland throughout the film, including Alice herself.

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19. A surprising inspiration

19. A surprising inspiration

This corridor shot was inspired by a movie Anderson saw. The 1999 art film Goya in Bordeaux features a scene set in a corridor that was covered in what looked like black plastic bags, the director said, which made it reflective. Expanding on that idea, he created this multi-layered glass hallway.

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20. That had to hurt

20. That had to hurt

While rehearsing this particular fight scene, Jovovich accidentally punched Bolt, who was standing in for blocking.

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21. She did most of her own stunts

21. She did most of her own stunts

Jovovich did all but one of her stunts in the first Resident Evil movie. The only thing she couldn’t do is the one the studio wouldn’t allow. As the pipe she’s clinging onto collapses, Alice jumps to a ledge. It was decided by those in charge that this was too risky to allow her to do.

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22. The rise of a producer's sister

22. The rise of a producer’s sister

This is the scene where Bolt’s sister briefly returns, this time as a zombified version of the office worker she played earlier in the film.

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23. The licker is incredibly creepy

23. The licker is incredibly creepy

According to Bolt and Anderson, this scene with the Licker monster was filmed using camera angles pulled right from the games, to give viewers the feeling of playing them.

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24. About the licker

24. About the licker

Yes, the licker is as creepy as it gets in the movie. However, it’s also entirely computer-generation–for the most part. What the actors were actually acting against was a beam of light from a flashlight. However, Rogriguez said she actually filmed at least one scene with a licker puppet.

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25. Take that, James Purefoy

25. Take that, James Purefoy

According to Jovovich, in the scene where her character kills a zombified Spense, she actually hit actor James Purefoy with the plastic axe she was wielding. According to Jovovich, he responded by screaming at her.

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26. About that massive door

26. About that massive door

As Alice and what’s left of her team escape the Hive, a massive door is seen closing to seal the complex. At least, that’s what the movie wants you to believe. In reality, all you see is a shadow cast by the lowering door. The door doesn’t exist because they couldn’t afford to create it.

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27. Welcome to Raccoon City

27. Welcome to Raccoon City

At long last, we see the streets of a desolate and barren Raccoon City at the end of the film, revealing a much larger story to be told over the movies that followed. Of course, Raccoon City isn’t a real place, though. Actually, those scenes were filmed in Toronto, Canada.

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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company


Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity’s Launch Trailer Focuses On Story And BOTW Nostalgia

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is nearly upon us, and ahead of its November 20 release Nintendo has put out one final trailer. This one’s thin on gameplay, instead digging deep into the story–which is the element of the game that many Breath of the Wild fans will be most excited about.

The trailer shows Zelda, Link, and the Champions preparing for the coming disaster, and delves into Zelda’s struggle to awaken her powers to seal Calamity Ganon away. Of course, fans of the Switch launch title know how that turns out.

Since the trailer focuses on story, players looking to go in entirely fresh might want to avoid it. Otherwise, you can check the footage out below.

In GameSpot’s 6/10 review of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, critic Suriel Vazquez found himself less than impressed with the game’s narrative. “That sense of impending doom is what I came to Age of Calamity for, but that’s where it blunders hardest,” he says. “It constantly encourages you to set aside that feeling of dread, avoid coming to terms with the consequences of its apocalyptic premise, and instead just kill a bunch of baddies and think the Divine Beasts are cool. Doing that is fun for a while, but it couldn’t stop me from being enormously let down by that choice.”

If you want to try the game yourself, there’s a free demo available on the Nintendo Switch Eshop.

If you’re planning on playing Age of Calamity, there’s still time to preorder the game and the Champion amiibo figurines. Check out GameSpot’s preorder guide.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

15 Best Black Friday 2020 Deals At Walmart

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

$30 (was $60)

Platform: Nintendo Switch

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe comes with both Mario Bros. U and Luigi U, both of which originally released on Wii U. Both are stellar side-scrollers with imaginative levels and hidden secrets to discover. While great as a solo experience, you can also play local co-op and get the whole family in on the fun. New playable characters like Toadette and Nabbit make the experience easier for younger players, too.

Daisy Ridley Weighs In on Baby Yoda’s Egg-Eating Bad Behavior

While speaking with us over the phone to promote our exclusive debut of the Chaos Walking trailer, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley revealed that she’s an avid viewer of The Mandalorian — and had some thoughts on the furor over Baby Yoda’s — OK, The Child’s — bad behavior in a recent episode of the Disney+ series.

After a year of being beloved for his adorable ways, Baby Yoda found himself mired in a public scandal after he ate the Frog Lady’s eggs in the Season 2 episode “The Passenger.” Her eggs would be, once fertilized by her husband, the last of their line. Unfortunately, the impishly curious and perpetually hungry Child helped himself to a few of the eggs along the way — even after Mando told him to stop.

The Child’s actions prompted a social media backlash, with some users believing he was helping extinguish an endangered species or that he was eating actual living creatures (which, to be sure, he has done). Vanity Fair’s cheeky headline adeptly summed up the backlash: “Baby Yoda Canceled Amid Accusations of Genocide.”

And while the subsequent episode saw Baby Yoda get his karmic comeuppance after he’s attacked by not one but two creatures — and even makes nice with the Frog Lady’s newborn — the damage done to Baby Yoda’s once-pristine public image might prove irreversible for some.

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With that in mind, we asked Star Wars veteran Daisy Ridley what she thought of the backlash and, echoing Vanity Fair’s headline, the tongue-in-cheek call to cancel Baby Yoda. For her part, Mandalorian viewer Ridley remains on Team Baby Yoda.

“Oh, cancel culture,” Ridley began, with a chuckle. “Look, Mando’s gotta eat, Yoda’s got to get strong. That’s just that.”

“I think it’s funny, because in a way, The Mandalorian, I feel, is slightly closer to [her upcoming film] Chaos Walking, in a way, because of the western feel of it,” Ridley observed.

But Ridley didn’t find Baby Yoda’s egg-eating cause for objection. “No, I’m like, ‘Yoda, do your thing.’ The creature [Frog Lady] got to be where she needed to be with the eggs. It’s all good. It was beautiful.”

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Given the success of The Mandalorian and future plans for other Star Wars content on Disney Plus, would Ridley be open to exploring her character Rey’s life post-Rise of Skywalker, perhaps in a streaming series of her own? Not really.

“I think for me the beauty of Episode IX is it ends with such hope and such potential. I just feel like that was Rey’s perfect ending. The big battle was in Episodes VII, VIII, and IX,” Ridley said. “I think really she’s probably running around the forest somewhere having a great time [following the events of The Rise of Skywalker].”

She continued, “I feel totally, totally satisfied with how that story finished. I just don’t know what else she could do that I didn’t have to do. Also, there are so many amazing characters in Star Wars, that it’s sort of an amazing thing. I was watching the new episode of Mandalorian, and it’s just like the places it can go beyond even where it is now is so exciting.”

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For more Mandalorian coverage, discover why astronauts took a Baby Yoda doll with them into space, how old Bo-Katan and Boba Fett are in The Mandalorian, Katee Sackhoff’s thoughts on bringing Bo-Katan to live-action, and the best Bo-Katan animated episodes to watch. And for more on Star Wars, find out everything we know about George Lucas’ abandoned sequel trilogy and check out our Lego Star Wars Holiday Special review.

And for Daisy Ridley’s next movie, IGN will exclusively debut the trailer for Chaos Walking this Thursday, November 19, at 6:00 AM PT / 9:00 AM ET.

Bungie’s DeeJ Moves To Iron Galaxy To Work On New Melee Combat Game

Veteran Bungie staffer David “DeeJ” Dague left the Destiny studio earlier this year, and now he’s landed at Iron Galaxy Studios.

The studio announced that Dague–the former communications director at Bungie–will be the head of communications for Iron Galaxy as it begins work on a new IP. Additionally, Iron Galaxy has appointed Chelsea Blakso as co-CEO alongside Adam Boyes, the former PlayStation boss.

Very little is known about Iron Galaxy’s new game, however, apart from the fact that it will be a “new multiplayer melee combat IP for consoles and PC.”

“Video games bring people together in the spirit of friendly competition,” Dague said in a statement. “This opportunity with Iron Galaxy is a chance to welcome players into a community that we will build with them. There is nothing more exciting than witnessing players discover a brand-new game and come together to define its culture. I’m thrilled to be tackling these challenges with my new teammates.”

Iron Galaxy is growing as a company, jumping from 140 to more than 175 staffers in 2020, despite the challenges created by the pandemic.

“Our supportive work-from-home culture ensures our staff feels cared for and valued as individuals. Our focus on creativity, communication, diversity, and inclusion has helped us attract and retain the best talent in the business,” Blasko said.

In the new role as co-CEO, Blasko will run Iron Galaxy’s day-to-day, while also “maintaining the well-being of its employees and the culture of the studio.”

Iron Galaxy is a relatively new studio, as it was founded in 2008. The independent company is known for its various port jobs, including the recent Switch versions of Overwatch, Diablo III, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

In total, Iron Galaxy has released more than 65 games. The studio has offices in Chicago and Orlando, along with a virtual studio in Austin, Texas.

Here’s What Mads Mikkelsen Had to Say About Replacing Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3

UPDATE: IGN spoke to actor Mads Mikkelsen on Monday to promote our exclusive Chaos Walking trailer debut — which you can see on IGN tomorrow, Thursday, November 19 at 6am PT/9am ET — during which time we asked the Rogue One and Hannibal star about the news that he’s poised to replace Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Depp resigned from the role earlier this month (see the original report below), with the trades pegging Mikkelsen as director David Yates’ top choice to replace him in the role of the sinister wizard. Except Mikkelsen says it’s all just a “rumor” … for now.

“Oh, that is on the rumor basis as we speak,” Mikkelsen told IGN over the phone. “So I know as much as you do from the newspapers. So I’m waiting for that phone call.”

Maybe Mikkelsen is simply playing coy until the deal is sealed or perhaps word of the studio’s desire to cast him leaked before they were ready to make him an offer. In any event, as soon as Depp’s replacement is official then we’ll let you know!

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Shortly after being asked to resign from the upcoming Fantastic Beasts 3, Johnny Depp’s replacement may already have been found. Mads Mikkelsen is allegedly in early talks to play Grindlewald in the upcoming sequel.

According to a report by Deadline Mikkelsen is apparently director David Yates’ top choice to replace Johnny Depp, who was let go from the project recently due to ongoing abuse allegations.

Although Depp only filmed one scene for the film so far, he will still retain his multi-million dollar salary due to the type of contract he originally signed which guaranteed his pay even if his role was recast.

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Mikkelsen is known for portraying Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal and Galen Erso in Rogue One. The Danish actor also played a pivotal role as Clifford Unger in Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, contributing both motion capture and vocals for the performance.

Filming for Fantastic Beasts 3 was stopped earlier this year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and with Depp’s departure, WB confirmed Fantastic Beasts 3 would be released in summer 2022 instead of its past November 2021 release date.

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It was previously announced that Fantastic Beasts is also now going to be a 5-part series of films after it was extended from its original three-film run.

For more, check out some other actors who were replaced during movie production and what director Yates has said about the film’s upcoming battles.

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Editor’s Note: This story previously incorrectly stated that Fantastic Beasts 3’s release date had not shifted. The article has been updated to reflect the accurate change to its release.

Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.