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The verdict for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation trial came out last week when the jury announced the decision in favor of Depp. Although Depp's fans celebrated his victory, a few of them criticized Disney and Warner Bros. for his removal from the Fantastic Beasts and Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Fans have asked both the companies to publicly apologize to Depp for their lack of support during the recent trial. Depp was supposed to appear as Captain Jack Sparrow in the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film until he allegedly lost the role due to Heard's domestic abuse allegations.
Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018, calling herself a domestic violence victim, after which Depp was fired from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Reasons behind Johnny Depp's removal from the Fantastic Beasts franchise
Johnny Depp played the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the first two Fantastic Beasts films. However, fans were shocked after he was fired from the franchise in February 2022.
Depp was asked to resign following his divorce from Amber Heard, where both sides allegedly abused each other, leading to several lawsuits. Depp was eventually replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the third film.
Although Depp and Heard divorced, fans were happy to know when it was announced in 2020 that Depp would reprise his role as Gellert Grindelwald. The Dark Shadows star was stuck in a 2018 libel lawsuit against The Sun, a British newspaper that called him a wife-beater.
High Court Justice Andrew Nicol ruled out in November 2021 that the allegations against Depp in the 2018 article were true. A British court then rejected Depp's permission to appeal the judge's ruling that he assaulted Heard, stating that his attempt to overturn the decision had no real prospect of success.
At that point, Depp filmed only one scene as Grindelwald, and production was halted until September 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the court's verdict, Warner Bros. asked him to voluntarily step away from the role, and Depp also issued a statement about the same on Instagram.
However, the Pirates of the Caribbean star was still paid his salary, estimated to be between $10 to $16 million. Mikkelsen's casting was announced a few weeks later, and fans slammed the studio's choice.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was released on April 15, 2022, and received mixed reviews from critics. Although it grossed $400 million at the box office, it was still the lowest-grossing film in the Wizarding World franchise.
Johnny Depp celebrates his victory
Following his victory in the defamation trial last week, Johnny Depp joined TikTok and posted an emotional message to his fans, thanking them for their support.
Depp has not been seen during the trial since he was with Jeff Beck in the UK. They performed together at different locations, and their album is scheduled to premiere next month.
The Lone Ranger actor spent around $60,000 at an Indian restaurant and was joined by 20 others. The restaurant also shared a few pictures on its Instagram page.
Depp and Heard got married in a private ceremony in 2015, and Heard filed for divorce in 2016. Heard claimed that Depp physically abused her during their relationship while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
