Johnny Depp is Headed Back to Court to Overturn Libel Ruling in Amber Heard Case
Fantastic Beasts 3 saw the departure of Johnny Depp, as Grindelwald, as a result of Warner Bros asking the star to retire himself from the role. This was the result of Depp losing a UK case where Depp was labeled a “wife beater” by a publication. Now, Depp is reportedly headed back to court to try and have the ruling overturned.
Recently, a justice denied Depp’s appeal to overturn the verdict, but the justice did allow Depp until December 7th to contest the ruling in the Court of Appeal. Depp previously stated he would appeal, saying “The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal,” according to Deadline. It is not clear exactly what grounds Depp has for an appeal.
In the initial ruling, the High Court Judge, Andrew Nicol, said The Sun’s use of the phrase “wife beater” in a 2018 article was “substantially true.” His verdict also declared that Depp “did assault Ms Heard.” This was a terrible look for Depp, which puts a label on him as an allegedly abusive spouse (again, despite most of the evidence). Depp will likely now encounter more problems finding work.
As a result, Depp was pushed out of his role in Fantastic Beasts and issued the statement below.
Warner Bros announced that they will be recasting Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts film series without any announcement about Heard’s participation in Aquaman 2. At the moment, it is reported that Heard will reprise her part as Mera in Aquaman 2.
#JohnnyDepp FIRED #FantasticBeasts3
FULL BREAKDOWN
+ #AmberHeard will likely have role reduced #Aquaman2ADDITIONAL INFO JUST IN FROM MY SOURCES:
AT&T approves, Depp had filmed several scenes which must be re-shot, offer is already out to new actorhttps://t.co/U90WSfsN7x— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) November 6, 2020
Warner Bros released a statement, saying:
“Johnny Depp will depart the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date. ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theaters worldwide in the summer of 2022.”
J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, released her own public statement that said:
“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.”
The Wizarding World has been under a lot of fire the past year or so, with Rowling under fire due to a series of transphobic comments that have turned fans against her. As well, Fantastic Beasts 3 has been severely delayed by COVID-19, star Ezra Miller was caught on camera choking a fan, and now Depp has had to step down.
What are your thoughts on Depp’s appeal and do you feel that he has a case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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