
publications could refer to him in those same (or similar) terms, and the optics, as well as moral obligations, of keeping him as the Johnny Depp Grindelwald character in Fantastic Beasts 3 were seemingly too much to bear. Their lawyers presented 14 separate incidents as evidence of abuse from Depp to Heard, and 12 were found to have passed the reasonable civil standard, meaning The Sun's report was found to have "substantial truth." Depp attempted to appeal the verdict but was unsuccessful.ĭepp, who played Grindelwald, losing his libel lawsuit created, at the very least, a PR disaster for Warner Bros., as it meant other U.K.

Despite Depp's claims, the court found in favor of NGN and Wooton. Related: Everything We Know About Fantastic Beasts 4The biggest reason why Depp left as Grindelwald stemmed from the libel lawsuit against NGN. had concerns over how Depp's ongoing controversy would impact Fantastic Beasts 3 and the Johnny Depp Grindelwald character, but the actor remained attached to the project all the way through to the beginning of production in September 2020, filming one scene for the movie, before departing in November 2020. The Grindelwald actor claimed that not only were Heard's allegations lies but that she had been the abuser in the relationship and that she had orchestrated a "hoax." Later that same year, it was reported that Warner Bros. An April 2018 article published by The Sun referred to Depp as a "wife beater," which led to the actor suing the newspaper's parent company, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and The Sun's then-executive editor Dan Wooton, for libel. Johnny Depp, who played Grindelwald, and Amber Heard reached a settlement in August 2016 and finalized their divorce in January 2017, but that did not end the controversy surrounding the pair's relationship, nor that of the ongoing Johnny Depp Grindelwald role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, despite him being confirmed to return for Fantastic Beasts 3.
#Dumbledore actor change movie
The discussion of the actor continued to dominate talk about the movie long before and up to its release, with even some talk of a boycott, as reported by Digital Spy - Rowling herself admitted that "there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role." While WB, Rowling, and director David Yates stuck behind their decision to cast the Johnny Depp Grindelwald character, the backlash only intensified in the lead-up to the second movie's release, especially after it was titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, ensuring Depp's dark wizard would play a very central role.

Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies." I understand why some have been confused and angry about why that didn’t happen. As David Yates, long-time Potter director, has already said, we naturally considered the possibility of recasting. Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role.

How Harris might have handled the heavier acting required by Dumbledore's actor in the later films we'll sadly never know.".Around the time of filming his cameo in the first movie, stories had appeared in the press that deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise. It's difficult to imagine Gambon in the lighter, more childish world of the first two movies, but it's equally difficult to imagine Harris in the darker, more brooding world that follows.

Gambon's Dumbledore, on the other hand, was much quicker to anger, and at times sported twinges of Gambon's Irish accent. Harris' portrayal of Dumbledore was soft-spoken and whimsical, creating a grandfather-esque figure who ushers Harry and his friends into a new, magical world. While the recasting of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise was due to necessity (original actor Richard Harris tragically passed away due to Hodgkin's lymphoma) it was a shift that completely changed the character, with Michael Gambon chose to put his own spin on the character, unconcerned with trying to beat or match Harris' previous performance. Dumbledore - Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
