Latest news with #GellertGrindelwald
News.com.au
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘F**k you': Johnny Depp's angry response to getting fired from Harry Potter franchise
Johnny Depp has broken his silence on being pushed out of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. During an interview with The Telegraph published Saturday, July 5, the star opened up about being recast in the Harry Potter spin-off series five years ago. 'They said we'd like you to resign,' Depp, 62, explained. 'But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire.' Depp, who portrayed the character Gellert Grindelwald in the first and second Fantastic Beasts films, announced that he was resigning from the franchise in November 2020. His announcement came shortly after he lost a libel case against The Sun newspaper connected to a 2018 story calling him a 'wife-beater' while still married to Amber Heard. '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,' the Pirates of the Caribbean star said at the time. But when asked for a response to being recast over the weekend, Depp had a more pointed reply. 'F–k you,' he said. 'There's far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I've already been hurt, you're gravely mistaken.' After portraying Grindelwald at the end of 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Depp returned to the role for the 2018 sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald. Then, following his resignation from the role in 2020, Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen, 59, for 2022's The Secrets of Dumbledore. Besides Depp, the franchise also starred Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander and Jude Law as a younger Albus Dumbledore. Despite emerging largely victorious from the defamation trial against ex-wife Heard, 39, in 2022, Depp has mostly stayed away from the big screen. His last live-action role, which was as Louis XV in the French film Jeanne du Barry, was in 2023. Still, the star has managed to keep busy in other ways. Depp stepped out at The Curzon Mayfair in London on Tuesday, July 8, for the red carpet premiere of Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness. Modi, which stars Al Pacino and Riccardo Scamarcio, marks the first film Depp has directed since 1997's The Brave. 'Embarking on this cinematic journey as the director of Modi has been an incredibly fulfilling and transformative experience,' the actor said in a statement about the film last year. 'I would like to express my profound gratitude to the entire cast, crew and producers for their unwavering commitment and creativity,' he added. After Modi, Depp is set to return to the big screen in a starring role for the new film Day Drinker with Madelyn Cline, 27, and Penélope Cruz, 51. What do you think? Post a comment. Day Drinker will reportedly follow a private-yacht bartender (Cline) who encounters a mysterious guest (Depp), per Deadline. The pair then find themselves caught up with a criminal figure (Cruz) and connected in ways no one saw coming.
Geek Tyrant
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Johnny Depp Gets Candid About Being Fired From FANTASTIC BEASTS: 'F* You. There's Far Too Many of Me to Kill" — GeekTyrant
Johnny Depp has finally opened up more directly about his abrupt firing from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, and he's not sugarcoating it. The actor famously portrayed dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel The Crimes of Grindelwald , before being ousted from the third film in the middle of an intense and very public legal battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard. While the studio never released a detailed explanation, Warner Bros. replaced Depp with Mads Mikkelsen for The Secrets of Dumbledore , a move that sparked backlash from Depp supporters and left the film creatively and commercially unsteady. Now, speaking with The Telegraph, Depp shed more light on how it all went down. And his comments are blunt. 'Listen, they've said all kinds of things out there in the world about me, and it doesn't bother me. I'm not running for office. It literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie. They said we'd like you to resign. But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire.' When asked how he felt in that moment, Depp said: 'F*** you. There's far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I've already been hurt you're gravely mistaken.' Depp had only filmed a single scene for the third film before being asked to walk away. While Mikkelsen delivered a strong performance as Grindelwald, the sudden switch was jarring for many fans, and it didn't help The Secrets of Dumbledore , which stumbled at the box office, pulling in just $407 million globally on a $200 million budget. That soft performance, along with the controversy and declining interest, effectively shelved the entire Fantastic Beasts franchise. Depp, meanwhile, has stayed mostly away from blockbuster territory since, though rumors continue to swirl about a possible return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a move that could redefine his place in Hollywood. For now, Depp seems at peace with what happened, but not without some scars, and certainly no apologies.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Fantastic Beasts star breaks silence on being re-cast in the movies
Johnny Depp has finally spoken about being asked to resign from the Fantastic Beasts franchise by Warner Bros. His departure in November 2020 stemmed from his libel battle with News Group Newspapers over domestic abuse allegations made by his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp told The Telegraph he felt 'shunned, dumped, [and] cancelled' in the aftermath, believing the studio wanted him to retire. A June 2022 jury found Amber Heard defamed Depp, awarding him over $10m in damages, while Heard received $2m in damages in her counter-suit. Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen replaced Depp as Gellert Grindelwald, admitting it was 'very intimidating' to take on the role.
