Fans are very divided about Johnny Depp’s continued presence in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise, even before the allegations from his ex-wife came out, but hopefully when ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ comes out later this year his performance could help shed some light on why Rowling and Warner Bros have stood so staunchly behind the man for the role despite all of the bad PR he has brought the franchise. And apparently, his role in the franchise is far from over, as Depp has just confirmed he will be back for the third installment.
While speaking to Collider about the next steps for the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise, Depp stated:
“The possibilities in that world are wide open, so you can really try anything. So it was a gas and I look forward to the next installment, which I think we start the middle of next year.”
Depp went on to praise J.K. Rowling for her writing, the character of Grindelwald, the franchise in general, and the trust she gave him for the role when he was cast:
“It was amazing. It came out of nowhere. Someone said J.K. Rowling would like to talk to me. I spoke to a few producers and the director and to J.K. and had long conversations basically about the Grindelwald character. J.K. said something I did not expect to hear because obviously her detail to her characters and those wizarding worlds is astonishing. The fact that she said, ‘I can’t wait to see what you do with the character.’ Just to hand it off to me with that degree of trust, I was really touched, blown away by that. So I jumped into locating the character and I had my ideas. I came in and it all seemed to work out. Grindelwald is an interesting character. His intentions in his mind are for the greater good, but there have been other people in world politics and such who felt the same way. [chuckles] He’s very dedicated to his beliefs. He’s not a fun character; he’s not funny.”
Of course, there is still the major controversy around Depp, as the accusations by ex-wife Amber Heard are about domestic abuse, and some fans are understandably frustrated that Rowling and WB have not replaced Depp in the franchise in light of these accusations. But Rowling herself released a statement on the matter reaffirming her choice of Depp in the role, and her reasoning:
“The huge, mutually supportive community that has grown up around Harry Potter is one of the greatest joys of my life. For me personally, the inability to speak openly to fans about this issue has been difficult, frustrating, and at times painful. However, the agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected. 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.”
What are your thoughts on the matter? Will you still be seeing ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ even with Depp in one of the lead roles? Do you have faith that Rowling knows what she is doing in this matter? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below!