Johnny Depp Forced to Leave the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise
Johnny Depp announced his departure from the famous Fantastic Beasts series.
The critically acclaimed actor, Johnny Depp announced on November 6 that he would be leaving the Fantastic Beasts franchise due to his ongoing legal battles. The actor was asked to resign from playing the dark wizard, Grindelwald in the upcoming movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3.
The Fantastic Beasts franchise is a spin-off series taking place in the Harry Potter cinematic universe with an upcoming third installment that Depp originally was supposed to act in. In the series, Depp played Grindewald, a wizard who serves a central role in the story’s plot. However, due to a lost libel case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, in which he was accused of being an abusive husband, Depp has been asked by Warner Brothers to leave the role.
Depp put out a statement on Instagram, thanking his fans for their “support and loyalty.” He goes on to say that he’s been “moved by the messages of love and concern.” He also states how he respectfully agreed to resign from the role when Warner Brothers asked him.
He concludes the statement with “The surreal judgement of the court in the U.K. will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal. My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.”
Repeat after me, Johnny Depp is grindelwald.#JusticeForJohnnyDepp pic.twitter.com/maXtMPJkJg
— #JusticeForJohnnyDepp // Wyoming Diaz (@WyomingDiaz) November 7, 2020
Depp has received overwhelming support from his fans, many of them demanding justice for the actor. Many of them have stated they will boycott Amber Heard’s upcoming movie, Aquaman, to show their support for him. Additionally, fans are calling out the bias legal systems have against male abuse victims.
The absolute most terrifying part of what’s happening to Johnny Depp is the message it sends to male abuse victims. They had a chance to provide a platform for and encourage them to come forward, and instead they made an example of him in the worst way.#JusticeForJohnnyDepp
— Dee (@tasteofsanity) November 6, 2020
The Fantastic Beasts series is available for streaming on Hulu.
