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So Johnny Depp Might Get Fired from the 'Fantastic Beasts' Movies

By Mike Redmond | Celebrity | April 15, 2019 |

By Mike Redmond | Celebrity | April 15, 2019 |


johnny-depp-hainan.jpg

Last week, Amber Heard made it very clear that she’s not about to let Johnny Depp abuse her through the court system. In response to his $50 million lawsuit, Heard’s lawyers unloaded a litany of Depp’s alleged abuses and cracked open a sealed deposition that accuses him of drunkenly attempting to shove Heard’s younger sister down a staircase. In short, none of it is pretty, and executives at Warner Bros. are reportedly “freaking out” that Depp is scheduled to film Fantastic Beasts 3. Which is the studio’s own dumb fault for sticking with his (allegedly) abusive ass in the first place, but we’ll swing back to that.

Via Page Six:

“Executives at Warner Bros. are wondering how to deal with the backlash of the Depp matter on the Harry Potter franchise,” a source said. “High-level female execs at the studio are extremely worried about working with Depp and the message it sends to the public, especially after the recent sordid departure of CEO Kevin Tsujihara,” who last month announced he was leaving amid a casting couch scandal.

“This is yet another blow to the morale of female employees at the studio,” the source said. “If Warner Bros. continues to stick by Depp, it would reveal a lot about the values the company holds.”

As for not dropping Depp from The Crimes of Grindelwald in light of his very public and very volatile divorce from Heard, Warner Bros. is correctly pissed at the person who championed keeping his ass around: J.K. Rowling. (Emphasis mine.)

While reps at Warner Bros. didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from The Post, insiders said executives are unsure how to proceed, since author J.K. Rowling came out strongly in support of Depp’s casting in a previous Potter flick in 2017 after his marriage to Heard crumbled.

Many at Warner Bros. wish that Rowling hadn’t come out so strongly behind Depp, because having made her opinion so public boxes them into a corner,” a source said.

To jog everyone’s memory, when it became clear that Depp was going to remain a part of the Fantastic Beasts franchise and people were justifiably concerned about continuing to feature an alleged abuser in a children’s movie, Rowling released a tone-deaf statement that defended Depp and chastised anyone who’d dare question the judgment of a woman who’s obsessed with how wizards poop and f*ck. (Emphasis mine.)

The huge, mutually supportive community that has grown up around Harry Potter is one of the greatest joys of my life. For me personally, the inability to speak openly to fans about this issue has been difficult, frustrating and at times painful. However, the agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected. 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’ve loved writing the first two screenplays and I can’t wait for fans to see ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’. 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.

Wow, what an incredibly smarmy way to say I have the sorting hat, sir, so you will listen to EVERY DAMN WORD I HAVE TO SAY. Then again, is it really a surprise that a transphobic author stans an abusive walking turd covered in scarves? Seems pretty on brand.



Header Image Source: Getty