The he-said-she-said battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is still playing out in the courts, but after losing his libel suit in the U.K. the battle has cost Johnny Depp at least one job.
Johnny was asked to step down from his role as Grindelwald in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise by Warner Bros. — and he agreed.
via People:
“In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement,” Depp wrote on Instagram Friday. “Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.”
Depp continued, “I wish to let you know that 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.”
“Finally, I wish to say this. The surreal judgement of the court in the U.K. will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal,” Depp concluded. “My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.”
Depp first played Grindelwald in the 2016 Harry Potter spinoff film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He reprised his role in the 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and was set to play the villain in the third follow-up, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3. In 2017, writer J.K. Rowling vehemently defended Depp and his casting in the franchise.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. confirmed it will recast Depp’s role before the third installment debuts in theaters in 2022. The franchise is intended to comprise five films.
Depp lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper over their 2018 story describing him as a “wife-beater” during his marriage to Amber Heard.
On Monday, presiding judge Mr. Justice Nicol ruled that The Sun’s article was “substantially true” in a written statement delivered through the UK Ministry of Justice.
“The Claimant (Depp) has not succeeded in his action for libel,” Nicol added in a lengthy judgment that detailed 14 separate incidents that came to light during a roller-coaster 16-day trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in July.
A spokesperson for The Sun has since praised Heard for “her courage in giving evidence to the court” during the proceedings, which detailed numerous highly-personal details of the couple’s marital life together.
“Domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the Judge for his careful consideration,” the spokesperson added through a written statement.
Heard’s U.S. counsel Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, said that the court’s ruling will now strengthen their determination to fight Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard in the US, which was recently delayed to May 3, 2021, by Circuit Chief Judge Bruce White in Fairfax County, Virginia.
“For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and Judgment are not a surprise,” said Bredehoft in a written statement.
“Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the U.S. We are committed to obtaining Justice for Amber Heard in the U.S. Court and defending Ms. Heard’s Right to Free Speech.”
In response to Monday’s ruling, lawyers for The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 57, described the decision “as perverse as it is bewildering” and vowed to appeal the decision.
“Most troubling is the Judge’s reliance on the testimony of Amber Heard, and corresponding disregard of the mountain of counter-evidence from police officers, medical practitioners, her own former assistant, other unchallenged witnesses and an array of documentary evidence which completely undermined the allegations, point by point,” said attorney Jenny Afia in a written statement.
“All of this was overlooked. The judgment is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr Depp not to appeal this decision. In the meantime, we hope that in contrast to this case, the ongoing libel proceedings in America are equitable, with both parties providing full disclosure rather than one side strategically cherry-picking what evidence can and cannot be relied upon.”
Depp and Heard first met while making the 2011 film The Rum Diary together and married in 2015.
In May 2016, she was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of abusing her. Depp denied the claims, and the former couple settled their divorce out of court in August 2016.
Heard donated her $7 million divorce settlement to charity – a decision which was recognized by Mr. Justice Nicol on Monday – and signed an NDA with Depp that barred either from discussing their relationship publicly.
In December 2018, Heard wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in which she described being an alleged victim of domestic violence. While she never mentioned Depp by name, the actor sued her for defamation, describing her allegations against him a “hoax.”
This case has taken on so many twists and turns we don’t really know who to believe about what. We’re willing to be the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
