Johnny Depp has revealed that the Wizarding World’s fans will now no longer be able to see him don the magic robes of a dark wizard. The 57-year-old actor recently appeared two instalments of the Fantastic Beasts as Gellert Grindelwald. He was expected to reprise his role in the upcoming third instalment. However, the recent situation changes everything and we may never see Depp as the infamous dark wizard.
Black Mass actor made an Instagram post confirming that he wouldn’t be returning for the role in third Fantastic Beasts movies that is set to release in 2022. He mentioned that it wasn’t his desire to leave the role, but he was forced to do so. Warner Bros., the production company behind the Fantastic Beasts asked the actor to resign from his role as Gellert Grindelwald. Depp, from his side, respected the request and have happily resigned from the job.
This is certainly a piece of disheartening news for all the wizarding fans, especially Depp’s. The resignation came after Johnny Depp lost a libel case against the British tabloid, The Sun, over a news article written in 2018. The newspaper reportedly mentioned the actor perpetrated domestic violence and alleged that he was a wife-beater. Depp now plans to appeal the ruling as Pirate of the Caribbean actor believes that the allegations are false and he remains strong with his resolve.
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Warner Bros. Hints Recast
After the actor confirmed his resignation, the production later revealed that they will recast the role. The company will release the film sometime in 2022. Even though the film comes from the world of stories like Harry Potter, the film has been receiving huge criticism over the years. Most of the fans believe that the films did so well in the box office was due to the only man — Johnny Depp.
Eddie Redmayne, who portrays the protagonist — Newt Scamander, confirmed that the filming was starting from early October this year. Warner Bros. originally planned to produce five-film prequel series of the famous Harry Potter film series. Fantastic Beasts takes place decades before the birth of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling returned to handle the script of both films and they weren’t based on previously published books.
The earlier reports state that the event of the third film will take place sometime after 1930. The third film will additionally feature two new locations, Berlin and Rio de Janeiro. Some fans have already called to cancel all the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequels. While some fans take positively and suggested Warner Bros. cast Collin Farell as Depp’s replacement.