This foreign born A+ list author used every bit of her power to keep the A+/A list actor in her franchise, but the studio was having none of it.
JK Rowling
Johnny Depp
Fantastic Beasts
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‘Wife beater’ ruling pushes Johnny Depp out of Harry Potter film
Depp vowed to appeal Monday’s ruling in his U.K. libel case, while J.K. Rowling has yet to react to news the star was asked to leave the role of Gellert Grindelwald in her ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series.
Four days after a court ruled that Johnny Depp abused his ex-wife Amber Heard during their tumultuous time together, the actor angrily announced Friday that he was asked to give up his role as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise.
“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 wrote on Instagram Friday.
Depp’s exit from the lucrative “Harry Potter” series comes days after he lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and the tabloid’s executive editor Dan Wootton. In a 2018 article, The Sun alleged that the once beloved star was “a wife beater.” In a stunning verdict that went against most expectations, a judge ruled that the article was “substantially true,” the Daily Mail and Daily Beast reported.
In his Instagram post, Depp confirmed that he plans to appeal the ruling. “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,” he said. “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.”
Thus far, his career and reputation have taken a major hit from Heard’s allegations. His casting in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise divided “Harry Potter” fans and forced author J.K. Rowling to make the controversial move to come to his defense in 2017.
Fans felt betrayed by Depp’s casting because Rowling has become known through her fiction and her social media as a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and for survivors of abuse. Rowling said she was “genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”
Rowing explained in a statement that she had been “deeply concerned” by Heard’s allegations, but said she and the the filmmakers had certain insight into what happened between Depp and Heard. This insight apparently led her and the filmmakers to believe that the violence in the marriage was mutual or somehow exaggerated. As of early Friday, Rowling had not issued any statement about Depp leaving the Grindelwald role. Her usually active Twitter account has been quiet since mid-October. – Source
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