Johnny Depp Resigns From Fantastic Beasts Franchise

Johnny Depp has resigned from his Fantastic Beasts role after the recent controversial judge ruling. The actor recently lost his case against The Sun for defamation after they published an article calling him a “wife-beater”.

However, because of the recent events the actor publicly addressed the issue. The actor made the announcement of resigning from his role as Grindelwald. ‘Fantastic Beasts’ was a spin-off of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, where the actor played the role of Gellert Grindelwald in two movies.

Johnny has earned over $20 million for each film. Warner Bros. dropping the actor from the film has sparked speculation of him being dropped by other studios as well. The actor had already started filming for the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie when he had to resign.

Warner Bros. gave out the statement announcing that the actor will depart from the Fantastic Beasts franchise. They thanked the actor for his work on the previous films and informed fans that the character will be recast. The studios informed that it is still in production and will be released worldwide in the summer of 2022.

The judge’s ruling on the case could also see the actor lose his $5 million Dior deal along with several other endorsements. After the actor’s announcement of resigning from the film, his co-star, Zoe Kravitz posted a rather cryptic comment. However, it is not confirmed if it was directed towards Johnny. She said, “Stop leaving out the part of the story where you f***** up.”

The actress plays the role of Leta Lestrange and had previously revealed how excited she was to work with the actor. Johnny revealed his decision and made the announcement on his Instagram the other day.

“My Resolve Remains Strong & I Intend To Prove That The Allegations Against Me Are False”

He wrote, “In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement. Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.”

Johnny further said that he wishes to let his fans know that he has been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from his role as Grindelwald. However, the actor said he respects and agrees with that request.

The Alice in Wonderland alum further wrote, “Finally I wish to say this. The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my fight, to tell the truth, and I confirm that I plan to appeal.” He added that his resolve remains strong and he intends to prove that the allegations made against him are false.

Johnny added, “My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time. Thank you for reading. Sincerely Johnny Depp.” The actor did receive backlash from the survivors’ charity Women’s Aid who accused him of trying to minimize the judge’s ruling.

The judge has ruled that Johnny had abused Amber Heard on 12 occasions. He also explained that in one of the text chains, the actor said he has ‘no mercy’ for her.

However, Johnny’s fans are not having any of this as they have dedicatedly spent their time in the case trying to make sense of the judgment. Twitter was filled with support for Johnny as they claimed there was clear evidence that Amber abused Johnny. The day the judge ruled the actor guilty, fans shed light on the number of evidence that emerged from the case that only proves that Amber had abused Johnny multiple times.

Johnny & Heard To Fight Another Case In America

Even after Johnny’s announcement to resign from Fantastic Beasts as per Warner Bros’ request, fans came out in support of the actor. They criticized Warner Bros. and a few of them also decided to boycott the studio and its films. Fans have been loyal to Johnny as the judgment completely shocked them.

They have also started a petition to remove Amber from Aquaman 2, which is also under Warner Bros. The studio had previously stood strong along with J.K. Rowling by Johnny’s casting after Amber first accused him of being physically abusive.

Rowling had expressed that she is comfortable standing by the original casting and genuinely happy to have Johnny play a major role. However, she said, “I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by the committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.”

Johnny had filed a case of defamation against The Sun over an article which had labeled him as a ‘wife-beater’. However, he will have to struggle to save his career after losing the libel case.

The actor has another case to handle in America as he sued Amber for £39m in a defamation suit following a 2018 article for The Washington Post where she discussed domestic violence. Johnny had expected to be winning the case in the High Court in London.

Johnny and Amber are set to meet again in America next year in May regarding The Washington Post. The actor’s lawyers criticized the judge and called the ruling, “as perverse as it is bewildering”. The lawyers said the judge’s reliance on Amber Heard’s statement is the most troubling.

The actress kept changing her statements throughout the case. The lawyers further said that the disregard of the “mountain of counter-evidence from police officers, medical practitioners, her own former assistant, other unchallenged witnesses, and an array of documentary evidence which completely undermined the allegations, point by point.”

Johnny’s lawyers said all of this was overlooked and called the judgment “so flawed” that it would be ridiculous for their client to not appeal this decision.