Johnny Depp no longer a part of Fantastic Beasts franchise

American actor and producer Johnny Depp has announced that he has left the popular film franchise Fantastic Beasts through a letter to his fans. The letter came just days after he lost a libel case over an article in the newspaper that called him a wife beater. Johnny in his letter has explained that he was asked to resign from his character Gellert Grindelwald. The actor added that he respected the request and even obliged to it.

Johnny also called the judgement on the libel case as surreal and also said that he would be appealing on the judgement. Producers Warner Bros has confirmed about the exit of the actor from the franchise and added that another actor would be brought in for the role. It was The Sun newspaper that had published an article in 2018 that claimed that Depp had attacked his former wife Amber Heard. The 57 year old actor had then sued the publisher of the newspaper.

During the judgement, judge Mr. Justice Nicol ruled that The Sun went on to prove that the article was actually true. Depp had posted a letter on his Instagram account and said that the judgement is not going to affect his fight to narrate the truth. The actor in his statement thanked people who supported him in his fight. Depp added that he was also humbled to receive the love and support through messages in the recent days.

He also said that despite the circumstance, he would continue to remain strong and would go on to prove that the allegations made on him are false. Depp also said that his life and career is not going to be defined by this particular moment. Johnny Depp had appeared briefly in Fantastic Beasts in 2016 and in Where to Find Them. Warner Bros has said that the third film is currently under production and is all set to be released by summer 2022.

Photo Credits: Johnny Depp Instagram account