Johnny Depp made a brief appearance in the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016, with the promise of a bigger return in its sequel, set for release in 2018. However, Depp’s troubled divorce proceedings with his ex-wife, made headlines the same year, which led some to question his casting in the sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Johnny Depp made a brief appearance in the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016, with the promise of a bigger return in its sequel, set for release in 2018. However, Depp’s troubled divorce proceedings with his ex-wife, made headlines the same year, which led some to question his casting in the sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The controversy, whether he will be a part of the movie, lingered until last month when director David Yates defended his decision to keep Depp in the sequel. In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, Yates said, “With Johnny, it seems to me there was one person who took a pop at him and claimed something. I can only tell you about the man I see every day: He’s full of decency and kindness, and that’s all I see. Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with. So to me, it doesn’t bear any more analysis.”
However, J.K. Rowling, writer of the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the film’s sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald, remained silent on this subject… until now.
Speaking about the Depp issue, she stated recently, “When Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald, I thought he’d be wonderful in the role. However, around the time of filming his cameo in the first movie, stories had appeared in the press that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise.”
She went on to add, “Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role. Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies. I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.”
