12 h, nov 7, 2020 y - MEDIA COVERAGE 7 November 2020 Johnny Depp will never work in Hollywood again

Description:

FROM THE DAILY MAIL:

'He'll never work in Hollywood again': Top lawyer says Johnny Depp's career is over after Warner Bros FIRED him from Fantastic Beasts role after Amber Heard trial

By DANYAL HUSSAIN and DAN SALES

Johnny Depp will never work in Hollywood again, a top lawyer has claimed, after he was fired from his Fantastic Beasts role following the Amber Heard 'wife-beater' libel trial.

Depp, 57, was said to have had a 'monster side' by a judge who ruled that he did in fact beat Amber 12 times during their explosive marriage. As the case was a civil and not a criminal one, it was decided on a lower 'balance of probabilities' - rather than 'beyond reasonable doubt'.

The American actor has now been forced to quit at the request of production company Warner Bros, despite having already shot some scenes for the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie.

His role as the villainous Gellert Grindelwald, which he played in the first two movies in JK Rowling's Harry Potter spin-off series, will be recast.

And media lawyer Mark Stephens believes the sacking could end Depp's career in Hollywood.

He said: 'This is devastating for Depp. He is now toxic. He will be known for ever as a wife beater, a drunkard and a druggie. It will be written on his headstone.'

In a bombshell statement Depp said he would battle the court judgement against him, declaring 'My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time'.

He is understood to have earned £15.2million ($20million) for each film he appears in but Warner Bros taking the hard stance against him will spark speculation other big studios could be set to drop the star.

He announced his departure despite having already shot some scenes for the new film.

In a statement, the film studio said: '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 theatres worldwide in the summer of 2022.'

The news could see Depp lose several other endorsements, including his lucrative $5million Dior deal to be the face of their popular cologne Sauvage.

His case could mirror those of actors like Kevin Spacey who saw brands desert them in the wake of explosive legal battles. Sir Ridley Scott fired Spacey from 2018's All The Money In The World after he was accused of sexual harassment and re-shot the entire film with Christopher Plummer in his place.

Shortly after Depp's announcement, his Fantastic Beasts co-star Zoe Kravitz left a cryptic post on Instagram. Though it is not known if it referred to Depp, it read: 'Stop leaving out the part of the story where you f***** up.'

Miss Kravitz, who plays Leta Lestrange, had previously said she was 'stoked' to work with Depp on the film.

Added to timeline:

Date:

Images:

YouTube: