Johnny Depp has been told to leave the Fantastic Beasts franchise after losing a recent court ruling in the U.K..
As per 7news, the Hollywood actor confirmed the news in a letter posted to Instagram. Depp had recently lost a libel case in the U.K. after suing the tabloid newspaper The Sun for describing him as a “wife-beater” in claims that he abused his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard.
Warner Bros., the production company behind Fantastic Beasts, have now removed Depp from the next entry in the Harry Potter spinoff. This is in spite of Depp’s decision to appeal the ruling.
“I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days,” Depp’s statement reads in part. “Secondly, I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request.”
Depp was introduced as the evil wizard (and rival to Albus Dumbledore) Gellert Grindelwald at the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. His inclusion was immediately met with disapproval due to the domestic abuse allegations surrounding him.
The author of Fantastic Beasts, J.K. Rowling, defended Depp at the time, saying that “the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”
On August 20th, filming on the new Fantastic Beasts was confirmed to have started. On September 20th, its lead actor Eddie Redmayne said that filming was two weeks underway.
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It’s unclear how the storyline for the third film in the trilogy will proceed with Depp’s removal. His character Grindelwald was set to feature prominently.
Warner Bros said Depp “will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date. Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast.”
Check out the trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:
