Johnny Depp was forced to drop his famour role in the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise after he lost a libel case against a British publication that quoted him as 'wife beater' in Amber Heard domestic violence lawsuit.
Depp took to Instagram to reveal that Warner Bros. movie studio had asked him to leave his role as villain Gellert Grindelwald. "I have respected and agreed to that request," he said.
Warner Bros said in a statement that Depp “will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise,” and that his role would be recast.
Depp recently resumed production on the third film in the spinoff from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Warner Bros said on Friday its release date had been pushed back to summer 2022 from November 2021.
Rowling - herself a survivor of domestic abuse - declined to comment on Depp’s departure.
His exit marked a relatively rare move by Hollywood to recast an actor on ethical grounds.
