Warner Bros ‘freaking out’ about Johnny Depp in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise

'Fantastic Beasts' The Crimes of The Grindlewald UK Premiere

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was not a billion-dollar movie. It ended up making about $650 million domestically and internationally, which is pretty successful, especially considering the lead of the film is Johnny Depp. When TCOG was released late last year, it revived the conversation about how Warner Bros was super-dumb to insist of Depp’s casting for Grindelwald, especially given everything that went down with Depp’s divorce from Amber Heard and his subsequent financial and cultural downfall. Many wondered why JK Rowling was caping so hard for Depp, or why Depp claimed last year that Rowling “has seen the evidence and she knows I was falsely accused.” It was a mess. And I do wonder if the film would have made more money or been an even bigger deal if they had simply cast a less problematic person in the role. Now, after Amber Heard has detailed Depp’s abuse as part of HIS lawsuit, Warner Bros is reportedly “freaking out.”

Warner Bros. is “freaking out” over its hit Harry Potter movie franchise’s connection to Johnny Depp after Amber Heard‘s new court documents described in painstaking detail how he allegedly beat, choked and tormented her during their relationship, sources told The Post on Friday. Depp — who denies abusing Heard — is slated to star in “Fantastic Beasts 3,” the next installment of J.K.Rowling‘s Harry Potter movies. The script has been completed, although filming, which was due to start this summer, has been delayed to the fall of next year.

“Executives at Warner Bros. are wondering how to deal with the backlash of the Depp matter on the Harry Potter franchise,” a source said. “High-level female execs at the studio are extremely worried about working with Depp and the message it sends to the public, especially after the recent sordid departure of CEO Kevin Tsujihara,” who last month announced he was leaving amid a casting couch scandal.

“This is yet another blow to the morale of female employees at the studio,” the source said. “If Warner Bros. continues to stick by Depp, it would reveal a lot about the values the company holds.”

While reps at Warner Bros. didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from The Post, insiders said executives are unsure how to proceed, since author J.K. Rowling came out strongly in support of Depp’s casting in a previous Potter flick in 2017 after his marriage to Heard crumbled.

“Many at Warner Bros. wish that Rowling hadn’t come out so strongly behind Depp, because having made her opinion so public boxes them into a corner,” a source said.

[From Page Six]

Instead of spending another $200 million on Fantastic Beasts 3, they should spend that money on a time machine and go back to when they were first deciding to cast Depp. Oh wait, WE ALL TOLD THEM AT THE TIME THAT THEY WERE MAKING A MISTAKE. Truly, we did. That’s why JK Rowling had to come out and explain why she wanted Depp in the role and why Amber and Johnny deserved “privacy.” That’s another part that kills me about this whole catastrophe: if Depp had just STFU after the divorce came through, he would have done himself and his career a big favor. Instead, he was the one who decided to sue his ex-wife after spending several years publicly demeaning her and calling her a liar. Now he’s abusing her through the court system to “prove” that he never abused her. Warner Bros deserves to have this mess in their laps. They knowingly sh-t the bed when they cast Depp. Chickens coming home to roost as far as I’m concerned.

'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' UK Premiere - Arrivals

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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101 Responses to “Warner Bros ‘freaking out’ about Johnny Depp in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise”

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  1. CharliePenn says:

    I won’t see it because he’s in it, I’m sure I’m not alone on that.
    I’m also heartbreakingly disappointed in JKR and I’m really hoping she will get a clue on this and reverse her stance, withdraw her support ofnthis abusive prick.

    • Beli says:

      You are not alone.

      I adore the Potter world and have for 20 years. I was of the generation that grew up and came of age with Harry and it was a huge part of my childhood and my friends’ childhood. I read the series again every year to remind myself of the magic.

      I still haven’t seen TCOG.

      As much as I love the world and the characters from the first film, I can’t support Drop’s casting and the insistence behind having him in the role.

    • TheOtherOne says:

      I’m with you. I did see the first one because it was on sale for $0.99 on iTunes. I wish they would have cast Colin Farrell in a larger role or given him Johnnys role because Colin was great for such a boring movie.

      • Millennial says:

        Exactly, they could have easily just kept Colin Farrell in the role and these movies would be making millions more dollars. There was literally no reason to switch the casting to Depp in the last few minutes of the first movie.

        I have zero sympathy.

      • Valiantly Varnished says:

        Exactly. Colin actually played the part for the majority of the first film. Depp had basically a cameo at the end. They could have kept Colin and it would have been fine.

      • Steff says:

        I think it’d be wise to change Grindewald back to Farrell.

    • Snowslow says:

      I haven’t seen it or taken my kids to watch because of Depp too.

    • Alarmjaguar says:

      All of this!

    • Mia4s says:

      I had the opportunity to see it for free and without upping any ratings so I took it. Even apart from all these real life problems, it’s a bad series. Boring and unpleasant. Eddie Redmayne is a pretty good actor but he is NOT a leading man. Completely dull and inert. Jude Law is barely in it. Zoe Kravitz is fridged for man pain. Depp plays a crazed villain without any of his once upon a time creativity.

      Seriously don’t bother, it’s just bad.

      • Alissa says:

        I begrudgingly saw it despite not wanting to support Depp, and it was so aggressively bad that I bitched about how it made no sense for an entire weekend.

      • LWT00 says:

        This. I saw the first one and was stunned at how boring and slow it was. Killed any chance of my watching the rest of the series, and that was before all the Depp stuff blew up.

      • Betsy says:

        @Alissa – I thought it was just me. It was just so…. off for how tight the HP movies were.

    • Becks1 says:

      Me neither. We were looking for a movie to watch on Saturday night and saw that one and my husband and I looked at each other and were like, “nah, we’ll pass.”

    • Erinn says:

      The problem is that it’s not even a one off thing. She’s been an idiot for years now. She’s tanking her own series, and it’s a shame because I was reading them pretty much as they came out -it’s been nearly 20 years. And it was such a good series. But I can’t support this woman anymore. I find her vile.

      • Alissa says:

        I’ve determined that I really dislike her and have disliked pretty much everything she’s had to say about Harry Potter since the series ended. Which makes me sad because like you, I grew up with it – I read the first book in elementary school, the final one came out my senior year of high school and the final movie came out my senior year of college!

        But she can’t stop herself from saying silly things and trying to retroactively change things in the series, and it’s awful. (Although she did try to change Snape into a hero and I will go down fighting about how he was actually an abusive asshole, so I guess she started in the final book.)

      • SKF says:

        I think the thing with Snape was that he was an incredibly flawed and unlikeable person, the bullied who became the bully, someone with tastes different to the mainstream who is unsympathetic and often mean. But at the end of the day, despite all of this, he did the right thing over and over again in the big picture. He did what needed to be done. He saved Harry’s life – begrudgingly, and yet he did it. He followed Dumbledore’s instructions even when they put him at great risk and threatened his own sanity and soul. He isn’t a “hero”, he is an anti-hero. He is a layered, complicated, not very likeable person who nevertheless was brave and did his best to do the right thing. That’s pretty interesting.

      • Alissa says:

        @SKF I dunno, the way it was written was really only “I was a Death Eater but then I switched because I’ve been creepily in love with Lily Potter my whole life even though I called her a slur and was a jerk to her too. Then I was a raging dick to her kid for his entire school life, but then got one of his kids named after me because I did help the cause – not because I cared about the cause or the kid, but because I was still pining over this girl I treated poorly.”

        Not to mention the literal torture he did of Neville for no reason. He was a bad person who stumbled into doing the right thing because he had a boner for a dead lady. I can’t imagine Lily Potter would have been impressed with the near-decade of being an ass to her son! I honestly don’t even think he’s that layered and complicated – he was a weird, awkward kid who got bullied because he was a bit of a jerk, who grew into a bigger jerk as an adult because of it. It’s no wonder he liked Malfoy so much.

        Sorry, I have a lot of issues with the reconstruction of his character so late in the series after six books of him being a terrible person.

    • Abby says:

      Agree with all of this.

      No sympathy for WB either.

    • T.Fanty says:

      I don’t get being disappointed at JKR, though. She’s always been problematic. She talks a big game on Twitter, but never wants to be held accountable and she’ll give up the integrity of the franchise for a paycheck every time.

    • Missy says:

      Same same same! Also, WB freaking out due to Amber’s response? All of this information came out during the initial divorce proceedings, idk why they’re acting like this is new information.

    • AJ says:

      I feel the same way. JK’s support of him makes me so sad. I can’t watch any of her movies anymore.

    • SKF says:

      Yeah, I haven’t seen it and have no plans to – and I enjoyed the first one. My reasoning is two-fold: 1. I refuse to support a Johnny Depp movie and specifically this movie after JKR’s comments, and 2. I read a number of articles lambasting it for doing such ill service to its female characters, for making little sense in the established story and timeline, and for being a general mess.

      I am SO DISAPPOINTED in JKR. I know she’s been letting us down for a while; but this was truly, spectacularly awful. I tweeted at her when she first did it and am sorely tempted to follow that up now that I’ve read the full details of the abuse. No one involved in this epically stupid decision gets my sympathy.

    • Hyacinth Bucket says:

      Sadly Joanne K. Rowling has lost the plot a bit all over the place. She fast-tracking into conspiracies and it‘s not a good sight to see, sad really. Her books were all about love.

    • Kristin says:

      I don’t see why they can’t just put Colin Farrell back in that spot. Give him all the white hair and eyes crap, and good to go. He was Grindelwald in disguise anyway, it makes perfect sense.

    • whybother says:

      me too
      even it is free, not going to watch it
      not going to watch the next one either

    • BookOwl says:

      I refused to see it and have no plans to. I will not support that excuse for a man in any endeavor.

  2. Oh No says:

    They had the chance to get away from this toxic mess and instead they doubled down. It’s a wizarding world for Merlin’s sake, replacing him won’t take much fancy footwork.

    Has Mad-Eye/Crouch Jr taught us nothing

    Also I love the Potterverse, and this series feels a bit aimless which is disappointing

    • Sue Denim says:

      Just have to say, I like “for Merlin’s sake” can I start using it? 🙂 Thanks for the smile amid all of the awful…

    • CA Family Code says:

      It’s kind of the way Depp’s attorneys doubled down after Heard’s Answer/Demurrer to the complaint for defamation. I absolutely do not understand why Depp has filed this lawsuit. He’s so much in denial about being abusive and being so effed up on drugs and that he terrorized and physically attacked her…he takes no ownership at all. The idea that he believes that airing the whole toxic mess will improve his standing, at all, boggles the mind. It’s like he’s saying, “You’ve ruined me so now I will ruin you at any cost.” He cannot prove defamation if he did abuse her and he knows that. The case seems unwinable. But I think they know that. They just was to ruin Heard.

      As for Heard…she lied. She ruined her case because she lied. She’s a bad actress and a bad liar and I believe she also is abusive. Both of these people are a mess. He is a wife beater and she is a manipulative climber who has a path of destruction that will be revealed.

      • CA Family Code says:

        I wanted to add, and this is only my sense and intuition, but when I watch her deposition video, I do not believe she is being honest. I do believe he physically abused her, but watch it. Let me know if you see someone lying and acting (very badly). There’s something so dishonest about this woman she makes my skin crawl.

      • SK says:

        I watched it and I came to no such conclusion. The thing is: people don’t necessarily give testimony about trauma the ways we expect them to. Some become hysterical, some seem emotionless, most are nervous… trauma also leads to fractured memories and gaps in memories which is pretty consistent with what I saw. I am very wary indeed of people judging her testimony and saying it is bad acting, because I am aware of a number of criminal court cases (eg: a murder case with virtually no evidence, just an unlikeable wife) where people were convicted unfairly on the basis of the way they behaved or gave testimony (not the way it “should” be according to the juries) or perpetrators were not convicted because the jury didn’t believe the victim’s testimony because of the way they acted/behaved on the stand. I’m not sure exactly what you were expecting but I’ve seen other testimony similar to hers.

        I suspect that their relationship was toxic and possibly sometimes she did goad him or hit back; but that is pretty normal in cases of domestic abuse. It is messy, victims do sometimes hit back or even sense the explosion coming and preemptively strike to protect themselves. Then the perp. often seizes on that to say it was equal or all the other person. DV is complex.

      • Ronaldinhio says:

        Her testimony seemed accurate

        I am a counselling psychologist who works with victims of domestic and sexual trauma
        Pretty much all domestic abusers think that a victim using self defence amounts to them also being abused. It does not. Ask where the abuse originated, who put whom in fear.

      • A says:

        @CA Family Code, I’m honestly going to urge you to read Why Does He Do That, a book written on domestic violence and abuse. It’s written by Dr. Lundy Bancroft. It’ll give you some key insight onto why we, as a society, often resort to thinking that women are lying about the abuse they face from their partners. I don’t think Amber Heard is lying in her deposition, and I don’t think she has lied about what happened to her.

      • Anna says:

        As a fellow survivor of domestic violence, I believe Amber. Everything she’s described has been consistent with domestic violence. Just because a victim doesn’t seem sympathetic enough doesn’t mean they aren’t a victim.

    • Esmerelda says:

      Even the source is sexist – “”another blow to the morale of female employees” – because I guess male WB employees are completely indifferent to spousal abuse, right?

      And JK can never walk back on suppprting his casting. She had the option to shut up and sge sold her integrity for money. I will not buy nor recommend the HP series to my nephews and godchildren… it’s time for the next big childhood saga to come out, and there are a lot of talented authors out there.
      HP the soulless money machine needs to end.

  3. Snowflake says:

    I think it’s hilarious that he’s suing her and now all his dirt is coming out. He’s a POS. He punched a guy when he was working on the set of the original 21 Jump Street. I’m glad she has pictures. Some of his fans are so nuts, they’ll probably deny it even with pictures. That whole Kavanaugh hearing showed me that times have not changed. Sadly. That’s arent we need to vote in young people. No matter how liberal old guys like Bernie, they are still from that era and have that mindset. The males don’t listen to women or value them like the younger generation does.

    • Suz says:

      He also destroyed a hotel room after a fight with his girlfriend Kate Moss in the 90s. People seemed to forget about all this when he was with Vanessa Paradis and having a good career. Perhaps if he did behave with Vanessa or maybe they just covered up what he was like but this behavior of his isn’t new.

  4. Craptastic says:

    Just in case Warner Bros. is reading this, I did not take my kids to see this movie because of Johnny Depp being cast. As for JK Rowling, if my kids read the books great, they are wonderful books. But I will always have her defending him in the back of my head when I see all their merchandise in stores.

    • pinetree13 says:

      I also avoided this movie for that reason. I just can’t watch him on screen knowing what I know and feel okay about it.

  5. Mejia says:

    He is an addict in denial. He must have so many enablers and sycophants encircling him.

    • Mia4s says:

      For a look at said enablers and sycophants I highly recommend this Rolling Stone profile. With people like this encircled, I honestly doubt Depp lives another five years. It’s horrifying. Oh and reading about his current advisors, his incredible miscalculation in filing the lawsuit against his ex-wife will also make more sense:

      https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/the-trouble-with-johnny-depp-666010/amp/

      • Megan says:

        The body can only take so much. The booze and drugs have taken a huge toll on him.

      • LadyT says:

        Yes, a eye opening glimpse into a sick, sordid world.

      • Still_Sarah says:

        I once worked for a lawyer who started drinking at noon and kept at it all day. He was also rumored to use cocaine and do legal work in exchange for drugs. Once I heard the secretaries wondering if he would still be practicing law in five years as he was over fifty. They thought he would retire. I remember thinking that in five years, he would likely be dead. Moved to another city, so I don’t know if I was right.

  6. Reese. says:

    They did this to themselves. Done with that piece of rubbish. He has ruined the Grindelwald franchise with his presence in the movie.

  7. Mel says:

    I think Mads Mikkelsen would be a fantastic replacement for Depp, that said, I finally watched the film this past week and Depp is definitely not the only problem that film had, the storyline was lacking and didn’t fully make sense. Not only do they need to recast Johnny but the storyline needs to get much better or next film might be the last.

    • Coco says:

      I adore Mads Mikkelson! He is fantastic in everything. Hope they recast Depp because I skip anything he’s in now.

    • Lucia says:

      Mads Mikkelsen is amazing in everything he does. Recasting is not a bad idea.

  8. Darla says:

    Would never see anything he is in so this franchise, which is right in my wheelhouse, has been a big no go for me. Not one penny boys!

  9. Poppy says:

    I watched the first one and was looking forward to this one but because of the piece of crap that is JD, did not watch it.

    I won’t support deadbeats ugh him and Brad Pitt are so disappointing

    • Tiffany says:

      I liked the 1st film and was so, so, so disappointed when Depp appeared at the end.

      I was totally down for more Farrell.

  10. Pineapple says:

    The person she defended was her friend and probably a very kind human. But, Johnny Depp is an addict now and during his marriage to Amber Heard. I don’t think he would treat a partner horribly when sober … trouble is, I don’t think he’s sober much anymore. Everyone who came to his defense is just having trouble admitting the vast, insane troubles Johnny is living with now.

    I don’t think JK Rowling has ever loved a violent addict. If she has, she didn’t learn anything from it, which is too bad.

    I am angry I can’t watch the movies. He is in them and I won’t.

    • Lady D says:

      Her first husband was very abusive to her.

    • SKF says:

      Yes, I think a lot of people who know him have trouble reconciling the supposedly sweet, generous man he is when “himself” with domestic abuse. Amber herself struggled with it. As a survivor of domestic abuse I am shocked that JKR seems incapable of seeing that he can be both things – a sweet, kind man, and an abusive husband. Many abusers are outwardly charming and “good”.

      I see a man with a lot of warning signs. Problems with anger management his entire life with instances – like the punching of someone on set at 21 Jump Street, trashing his hotel room with Kate Moss present, attacking the pap with the wooden board – acting as signposts. A long struggle with substance abuse with clear physical signs like his haggard, bloated appearance and rotting teeth. His long-term relationship which was quite stable ending, and his mother getting sick and then dying – destabilising him and sending him further down the path of substance abuse. A clear presence of yes-men and enablers around him allowing him to deny deny deny and not face the truth.

      It seems obvious that, for him, substance abuse and sleep deprivation are linked to outbursts of anger, unreasonableness and domestic violence.

      The people who care for him should be helping him see the light and get help, not enabling this nonsense and the continued abuse of his ex-wife through whatever means possible.

  11. Jess says:

    I won’t let my kids watch anything with this awful abuser in it. And JK is forever seriously tainted in my mind for defending him. Such a shame.

  12. tempest prognosticator says:

    They knew they were taking a risk by casting him. They gambled and (hopefully) they’ll pay the consequences.

  13. Jules says:

    Well I’m glad they’ve finally realized that it’s a problem. I missed the news about Tsujihara. This cr#p is everywhere, isn’t it?

    • Incredulous says:

      No matter what WB say, I’m pretty sure Tsujihara got fired for putting his bonus money ahead of Justice League being a coherent or good movie, don’t mess with the money, especially on a tentpole film.

  14. Jennifer says:

    I am also boycotting anything with Johnny Depp. And it makes me very happy that so many others are taking a stand against DV, even though there are still so many that think Amber lied. Which is SO crazy! She has so much evidence and STILL people want to accuse the victim of lying instead of facing reality. I wonder if Johnny realizes what a huge mistake his lawsuit is, or if he’s still blaming Amber for his problems (probably the latter). He probably thinks she hit below the belt with detailing his abuse in her filing and that she is supposed to shut up and let him accuse her of lying without defending herself. Because it’s the victim’s fault for speaking about the abuse, never the abuser’s fault for inflicting the abuse, in the abuser’s mind (and usually society in general as well).

  15. line says:

    The first Fantastic Beasts I’m not going to see a cinema because the The fantastic beasts is not the thing that interests me the most in the Harry Potter universe.

    But for the second, I wanted to see him because it was going to deal
    of Grindelwald and Dumbledore. I was delighted with the choice of Jude Law for play a young Albus Dumbledore but choice of Depp I did not understand (if we forget about domestic violence against Amber Heard ).Johnny Depp was a problematic choice for a multiple reasons .

    – First her latest movies have been box office flops,
    – Everyone knows he’s had diving into his old demons of alcohol and dirty parties.
    Add to that the affair with Amber Heard Why choose Johnny Depp, he has other actors less problematic, me my first choice for Grindelwald was Damian Lewis.

  16. Case says:

    I know I’m not alone in not giving Depp any of my time or money these days — I’m glad to see that it’s making Warner Bros. nervous. That’s what you get for not believing the victim. Not to mention it is painfully obvious that Depp struggles with alcohol and/or drug abuse issues and was caught in a downward spiral for years before they cast him. They only have themselves to blame.

  17. Really says:

    This is what they deserve. I didn’t watch his last’s movies and I won’t support any future project involving him, also he lost a part for Elizabeth moss

  18. Marjorie says:

    Freak away, Warner Brothers, you deserve whatever losses you get. They knew all about him and did this anyway.

  19. bears says:

    Haven’t seen any of the FB franchise movies because of him. Won’t see this one either. Just came here to say, what a surprise – someone wishing JK Rowling had kept her mouth shut, and once again, that person isn’t JK Rowling. Proceeding with eyeroll.

    Also, I continue to think it’s pretty F’d up that only the female executives and employees of WB appear to have an issue with this. At what point will male employees of a company start to care about these things that impact their livelihoods as well? Most still seem to hold the opinion that as long as they aren’t the one in hot water, they’ll just stand quietly in a corner, doing nothing to help.

  20. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    Too little, too late. The only way to save Potterverse is for JKR to publicaly rescind her Depp advocacy, and rewrite all scripts or simply get another actor. Down with Depp.

  21. Eliza says:

    Depp hasn’t even been a good actor in over a decade. He lets his costume do the work and waves his arms manically and calls it a day. Can we stop letting abusers succeed because decades ago they had a spark that has long since extinguished?

    • Moco says:

      Yes! He’s turned into a caricature. The creepy eyes and crazy hair were half of his “acting” in this movie. I didn’t buy him as Grindelwald at all.

  22. launicaangelina says:

    I was on a business trip last week and caught part of Secret Window (2004) on HBO. He was such a beautiful man. I started going down the rabbit hole to figure out when his looks changed, and in 2015, there was such a stark change in his looks. It’s like all his demons reared their heads and came to the surface.

    I used to think he was cool guy and loved Cry Baby and Edward Scissorhands. He’s turned into a huge, gross, and ugly disappointment. I believe Amber, too. It’s clearly apparent that Depp is surrounded by enablers and sycophants.

    • Case says:

      Agreed. He used to be a very handsome, very talented man. It makes me upset that this is what has become of him. I think his success with Pirates was ultimately his slow but steady downfall — he lost his humility and became this greedy, gross person who then fell into addiction. I used to love him, and now I can’t even look at him without feeling repulsed and angry.

  23. Valiantly Varnished says:

    Insert massive eye roll. Everyone. Told. Them. And it’s only now – that the second film underperformed and they have a 3rd in the works that that are considering that maybe this was a mistake??
    PS – F*ck JK Rowling for life.

  24. Nicegirl says:

    We didn’t see COG for the Depp reason as well, and we won’t.

    Abusers do not deserve pedestals.

  25. Jen says:

    He looks ridiculous with those 25 pendants. Geez…

  26. Cee says:

    I decided, once the Heard allegations of abuse came out in their divorce, that I would not support anything having to do with Depp, therefore I’ve sat this franchise out and will not watch it even if I find it on HBO.
    Abusers will keep abusing their victims, especially when they’re entitled SOBS.

    I don’t feel sorry for WB – not at all. They knew who they were casting and decided to do so anyway because they don’t care. They deserve the mess they’re in.

  27. Other Renee says:

    I’m on board with everyone else here and refuse to see anything he’s in. I’m an Agatha Christie mega fan and skipped “Murder on the Orient Express” for this reason. Just looking at his evilness in a photo makes me want to hurl, so no way could I look at him on a big screen for two hours.

    • tealily says:

      SAME. I wanted to see that movie, but I didn’t want to look at the man.

    • Abby says:

      Same. I’m listening to the audio book right now, read by COUSIN MATTHEW Dan Stevens. It’s great. I passed on the movie, because of Depp.

    • Nicegirl says:

      Me as well, Tealilly and Other Renee. And I really wanted to see Michelle Pfeiffer in that one but NOPE. Not gonna do it. Not prudent at this juncture.

    • Bluthfan says:

      I watched 10 minutes of that for free on a plane and it was unbelievably bad. Besides the Depp stuff, it was just truly painful

  28. hnmmom says:

    Well, this is a day late and a dollar short.

  29. Sparker says:

    Him and Liam Neeson, and all the other old folks – the consumer isn’t interested anymore. Who keeps putting them in stuff? And also, hasn’t anyone noticed that the American civil war has morphed into a global cultural war where control of the entertainment narrative will determine the winner?

  30. Moco says:

    It’s a 5 movie series. They need to recast Grindelwald and try to salvage the next 3 movies.

    • Polly says:

      I just think it’s insane that they think this franchise is still viable – not just because of Depp’s involvement, but also the poor reviews, the general lack of interest, bad reaction from fans, not to mention what is clearly going to be a very long delay until the next movie comes out. By the time the fifth and final movie is released will anyone still care?

    • Case says:

      FIVE? OMG, I thought it was only three. Wow. It’s a shame Eddie Redmayne attached himself to this crap. He’s a promising actor who is wasting his time with a failing franchise.

  31. lucy2 says:

    WB and JKR made a foolish bet with him, and doubled down. They are victims of their own stupidity and enabling. No sympathy here.

  32. tealily says:

    All I can say is good.

  33. Some chick says:

    OMG the framing of this! Sure, it’s Page Six but…

    “High-level female execs at the studio are extremely worried about working with Depp and the message it sends to the public, especially after the recent sordid departure of CEO Kevin Tsujihara,” who last month announced he was leaving amid a casting couch scandal.”

    OMG the “female execs” (all however few of them even exist) are concerned, but the men don’t care! Well, that checks out. But still, rude!

    And then, “casting couch scandal” – really? “Casting couch”? What old azz man wrote this story?

    Anyway, I don’t feel sorry for a single one of them. They’ve still got oodles of money (plus the residuals) but no empathy. Depp set his own house on fire years ago and they’ve had plenty of time to figure that out.

  34. Belinda says:

    I have zero sympathy for those guys!! They knew EXACTLY what they were doing!! There were trying to go along with their “bro” Johnny. Everyone was up in arms about how things in Johnny’s story didn’t add up but hey! the bros stuck together.

    And here we are … it is long past the moment when the shit hit the fan and they got exactly what they had coming for them.

    ZERO sympathy.
    Let them financially sink!

    It would have been super easy to just change over to having Colin Farrelll play Grindelwald, but these bros stuck with “their man” … let them bleed dry, I say!!!

  35. ChiaMom says:

    NOW THEYRE FRESKING OUT?!🖕🏾 OF COURSE It would’ve been a bigger hit without him we all told them we are weren’t going to see that movie and we didn’t. Anyone who capes for him gets the smack down especially JK

  36. ariel says:

    Warner Brothers, and JK Rowling deserve any shitty consequence they get for casting someone who anyone with a brain can see is drowning in addiction, denial, delusion, and crazy abuse (mental and physical, continuing) of his ex-wife.
    May they all lose money due to their shitty decision-making.
    (Of course, if they do, they’ll probably blame Ms. Heard for their misfortunes.)

  37. Bella Bella says:

    I’ve never seen any of those movies. And I haven’t seen anything Depp has been in since Ed Wood. I find him vile. Look at his face! That is a face of a mean man, aged beyond his years.

  38. Lucia says:

    Warner Bros has no one to blame but themselves. I’ve seen executives for the companies we do PR work for cast out for less than what Depp did.

    He’s an albatross around the Fantastic Beasts franchise’s neck. They would have lost less credibility had they recast him. Now, the only thing I would do if I was Warner Bros is tell him to drop his lawsuit against Amber or be fired from the franchise. He should probably be fired regardless but if these are the last films Depp ever stars in, I’ll be satisfied.

  39. CK says:

    I have zero sympathy for them. A woman that looked as washed up as Depp wouldn’t even get hired for an “ugly” role. He looks worse than Voldemort. Why was he even cast? His shtick is worn down and all his “characters” pretty much overlap at this point. They should have went with a talent, charming British actor that could play well opposite Jude Law. I enjoy the Wizarding World films, but after CoG(and the many terrible side plots within), I don’t want JK Rowling anywhere near WW2 because I don’t put it past her to have dark wizards causing the Holocaust.

  40. SM says:

    Like I said before, I am not watching this and will not show this to my kid when he is older because of this mess with Depp. However, judging on the success of the film, I am in a minority on this. But I am glad they are concerned, because it means they over calculated their confidence, they probably hoped that this thing will just go away. But that is the problem with covering for messy people like Depp, you can’t control or predict messy people. Maybe these execs will eventually learn that lesson.

  41. Ali says:

    I really like the Harry Potter movies and I’ve watched them all with my 11 year old.
    I thought both FB’s were entertaining. If they make a third, I’ll watch that one, too, whether they leave the cast or re-cast. I’m not in it for the actors. I love the world she created and I’m happy the movies have been made.

  42. A says:

    JKR dug herself into this hole. I will always remain a HUGE fan of Harry Potter, not only because they were a big part of my childhood, but also because I think the books themselves are really well structured and have a remarkable amount of depth. JKR put in the work needed to write these books, and it shows. It’s a crying shame that she can’t apply herself in the same way to her other endeavours. Also, her prejudices which could be reasonably masked in a children’s book are not as well hidden in her adult novels, and that makes it really off putting for me personally. Combine that w/ the Johnny Depp fiasco, and it’s the nail on the coffin for me.

  43. SilentStar says:

    Thought those were photos of Corey Feldman at first!

    Also: I won’t see anything he’s in anymore either. Johnny that is.