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Johnny Depp Exits Fantastic Beasts Franchise After Losing Libel Case Over Domestic Abuse Claims
Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit over claims that he was abusive to Amber Heard has backfired, as he’s exited the Fantastic Beasts franchise after losing the suit. Depp announced on Friday that he was exiting the Harry Potter spinoff franchise, stating in an Instagram post that Warner Bros. asked him to resign and that he “respected and agreed to that request.” You can see the full statement below.
Depp lost the libel suit that he filed against The Sun’s publisher News Group Newspapers and The Sun executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article that called him a “wife beater.” The judge in the case dismissed the lawsuit and rules that 12 of 14 claims of domestic abuse against Depp were “substantially true,” finding evidence of spousal abuse. Depp noted in his statement that he will appeal the judgment, which he called “surreal.”
Warner Bros. has since confirmed the departure and said in a statement:
“Johnny 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. The film will debut in theaters worldwide in the summer of 2022.”
The third film is being directed by David Yates from a script by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. The film will star Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, Ezra Miller as Credence, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, and Jessica Williams as Professor Eulalie Hicks and is set to release on November 12th, 2021.
