12 h, nov 17, 2017 y - MEDIA COVERAGE 17 - 18 NOV 2017 Harry Potter Fans Are Furious Johnny Depp Is Still Grindelwald In The 'Fantastic Beasts' Sequel

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Harry Potter fans protest Johnny Depp's role in Fantastic Beasts sequel

By Telegraph Reporters

Warner Bros may have thought they'd thrown everyone off the Johnny Depp scent by hiding him beneath a peroxide ferret in the first image from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. But despite the distracting hair, Harry Potter fans are still clamoring for the star to be removed from the film.

Depp's casting as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has always been controversial, with the actor having been embroiled in a highly-publicised divorce from wife Amber Heard last year in which she accused him of being "verbally and physically abusive" throughout their relationship.

The pair's divorce was finalised in January, with Heard dismissing a restraining order she had taken out against Depp. They also issued a joint statement describing their relationship as "intensely passionate and at times volatile," and that "there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm."

But the dispute has remained in the minds of Harry Potter fans, who have now taken to Twitter to condemn Depp's involvement in the project.

Others have directly petitioned author JK Rowling to engineer his dismissal from the film.

Really intrigued by the plot of #crimesofgrindelwald but will almost certainly not be seeing it in theaters. @jk_rowling and @WarnerBrosEnt should have ousted Depp from the franchise years ago. Despicable that he's heading the continuation of such a beloved story.
— Lauren Shippen (@laurenshippen) November 16, 2017

Many have also referenced the forthcoming Ridley Scott thriller All the Money in the World in their Depp criticism, suggesting that if that film could completely excise disgraced actor Kevin Spacey and replace him with Christopher Plummer less than two months before its release, Fantastic Beasts could theoretically do the same with Depp.

If Ridley Scott can fire Kevin Spacey, after filming an entire movie with him and voluntarily reshooting it a month before release, then y'all can do the same thing w Johnny Depp bc you still have a year to go #FantasticBeasts pic.twitter.com/yaK93VMgc1
— manda saw JL and is an even bigger batshill (@amxndasantino) November 16, 2017

Fantastic Beasts director David Yates has previously suggested that Depp's personal life shouldn't intrude on his casting, saying last year that "The whole principal of casting the movie was [to] go with the best actor. Go for the most inspired, interesting, right fit for that character.

"And as we approached Grindelwald we thought, 'Who's going to take this in an interesting direction?' In this business, it's a weird old business. You're brilliant one week, people are saying odd things the next, you go up and down. But no one takes away your pure talent."

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