Johnny Depp Says Studio Wanted Him to ‘Retire' from ‘Fantastic Beasts' Franchise: ‘F**k You'
Depp was fired from the 'Harry Potter' prequel film series after he first lost a UK libel trial in November 2020 relating to abuse allegations from Heard. Depp later sued Heard stateside, in part citing the loss of the role as damages (his 'Fantastic Beasts 3' salary was revealed to be a reported $16 million). Mads Mikkelsen was recast in Depp's part of wizard Gellert Grindelwald, with the third film being released in March 2022.
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Now, Depp isn't mincing words when it comes to the WBD franchise. '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,' Depp told The Telegraph. '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.'
He added, 'Fuck 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.'
Following the aftermath of Depp's case against Heard, Mikkelsen told Deadline that the actor could reprise his original 'Fantastic Beasts' role. 'Obviously, well, now the course has changed — he won the suit, the court [case] — so let's see if he comes back,' Mikkelsen said in 2022 about Depp's possible return. 'He might. I'm a big fan of Johnny. I think he's an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job.'
The Hollywood Reporter cited in 2020 prior to Depp's firing that 'Warners — then headed up by CEO Kevin Tsujihara [prior to the Discovery merger] — brought Depp back for a third ['Fantastic Beasts'] outing in a move approved by creator J.K. Rowling and gave him a pay-or-play contract that did not contain a morality clause. As a result, the studio was stuck paying his entire $16 million payday for the film even after firing him in the wake of the UK verdict.'
Warner Bros. said in a statement at the time: 'Johnny Depp will depart the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date.' Depp issued his own statement here.
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