Last week Johnny Depp lost a libel case against The Sun, who referred to him as a “wife beater,” and the bad news followed as it was announced that he longer be playing Gellert Grindelwald in Warner Bros. Fantastic Beast franchise after the studio asked him to resign. In a statement on Instagram, Deep stated,
“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,”
A report from The Hollywood reported, studio
“wanted to allow due process to take its course before making a decision on the embattled star’s future in the franchise.”
Once Depp’s defamation claims were dismissed, Warner Bros. chief Toby Emmerich made the call that led to Depp’s exit. That said, Johnny Depp will still be receiving his full salary, said to be somewhere in the realm of eight-figures, as the actor had a pay-or-play contract with the studio, which means that he’s required to be fully compensated whether or not the film is made or even if his role is recast.
