Johnny Depp Exits “Fantastic Beasts” Franchise

Johnny Depp at the
Johnny Depp at the "Murder on the Orient Express" World Film Premiere in 2017. Photo by Jo Davidson/SHM/REX/Shutterstock (9187141de)

The third Fantastic Beasts movie is on the way, but one of the crucial cast members will no longer be there once it comes back. Johnny Depp, who played the role of Gellert Grindelwald, exited the franchise and he’ll be replaced with another actor.

Depp released an official statement announcing his departure and said that Warner Bros. asked him to resign from his role as Gellert Grindelwald. The actor added that he “respected and agreed to that request”, and thanked the fans for their support.

Warner Bros. also released a brief statement announcing Depp’s exit, and thanked the actor “for his work on the films to date”. They added that the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast and that we’ll have to wait until the summer of 2022 to see the third Fantastic Beasts movie.

This project started shooting in September after a pandemic-related delay, with Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, and Jude Law returning to their respective roles.