The last several days have been tough going for Johnny Depp. First the 57-year-old actor lost his libel suit against the Sun for calling him a "wife beater." Now, Warner Bros. has delivered a second whammy: Per Depp, the studio asked him to step down from his starring role in the next film in the Fantastic Beasts series, and that's what he's going to do, reports TMZ. Depp informed his fans of this development in a Friday Instagram post, in which he first thanked them for their support, then dropped the bomb. "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," he wrote.
Variety notes that Warner Bros. confirmed Depp wouldn't be appearing in the third installment of the Harry Potter spinoff and that it would be seeking another actor to play Gellert Grindelwald. The movie's opening date has also been postponed from November of next year to summer 2022. In his announcement, Depp added he's going to appeal the recent "surreal" judgment against him, based on his complaint that centered on the Sun's Don Wootton writing that Depp was a "wife beater" after domestic violence allegations by ex-wife Amber Heard, per the Independent. Depp also noted he's not about to let his legacy fall into ruin. "My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time," he wrote. (More Johnny Depp stories.)
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