Johnny Depp announced that he exited the ‘Fantastic Beasts‘ franchise.
Depp, who was planned to play the dark wizard ‘Gellert Grindelwald‘ in the upcoming film, posted a statement through Instagram to delivered the news. In the statement, the actor declared that Warner Bros. has asked him to resign his role in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and he has agreed to that request.
Three-time Academy Award-nominated actor also touched on the libel case he lost against the tabloid publication The Sun, which had released a report on Depp’s relationship with his ex-wife Amber Heard. In the report, the news medium described the actor as a “wife-beater.”
The 57-year-old actor denied all the accusations one more time and stated:
“The surreal judgment 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.”
Depp added that his life and career would not be “defined by this moment in time.”
According to NPR, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. issued a statement concerning Depp’s resignation from the said film’s franchise and confirmed that the actor had departed the cast. In the statement, it was also announced that ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ is currently in production, and the character, ‘Gellert Grindelwald’ will be recast.
The upcoming film, directed by David Yates, was scheduled for release in November 2021; however, the spokesperson for the Warner Bros. company stated that the date postponed to the summer of 2022.
See below to view Depp’s statement.
