Last week it was announced that Warner Bros. asked Johnny Depp to step down from Fantastic Beasts 3, after further controversy surrounding him and now ex-wife Amber Heard heated up again.
This isn’t the first time there’s been a change in actors for the Fantastic Beasts series. Colin Farrell played the same part most of the first movie, before a twist ending. However, recasting the pivotal role of Grindelwald in the middle of filming the third film has been a major shift.
Jude Law is going along with the studio’s decision and deferring to their judgement, stating:
“In a franchise like this, it’s the studio and the company that make the big decisions. And you have to go along with those, because we’re just a member of the team.”
The actor portraying the series’ Dumbledore hasn’t really spoken to either side of the situation. Although, he said it was “unusual” news because Depp had begun filming as Grindelwald for only about a day “on his own.”
The two hadn’t yet worked together on the third film, but the relationship between Jude Law’s Dumbledore and Grindelwald is important to the series.
It’s also been reported J.K. Rowlings hasn’t pushed back at all on the studio’s decision to recast Grindelwald. Even though she defended Depp in the past saying:
“Based on our understanding to the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting but genuinely happy to have Johnny Depp playing a major character in the movies. I’ve loved writing the first two screenplays and I can’t wait for the fans to see The Crimes of Grindelwald. I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.”
Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently set to release on July 15, 2022. The same day the last Harry Potter film released in theaters in 2011.
