“Fantastic Beasts 3” postponed, Depp pays

Johnny Depp only shot one scene for the third film, Fantastic Beasts, before leaving the project, although the actor will be receiving his full salary for the film, according to a new report at THR.

The deal shows that Warner’s film director Toby Emmerich made the decision on November 4th to sever ties with the star, who re-played his role as the dark magician Gellert Grindelwald in the five-film series. The London crew was notified the following day

They also say that “technically Depp was not fired from Warner Bros. but was asked to resign,” in part because a British judge dismissed Depp’s libel claims in a trial against The Sun editor, whom Depp considered “Wife” designated. Bat”. Depp had a pay-or-play contract with no morality clause, which means Warners is on the hook for his salary.

Depp is also suing ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation in Virginia in a case that would likely disrupt the film’s shooting schedule. Depp must appear in person for three consecutive days in November to reach an upcoming deposit.

Another piece in Variety suggests that this is partly due to Warners’ merger with AT&T, which overall lacks tolerance for the kind of controversy affecting some notable film talent. The franchise itself already has enough controversy over writer JK Rowling and her publicly voiced views on transactional issues.

Production of the new film started in London on September 20th and now there is a race to replace Depp in the role of Grindlewald. The film was postponed today for release on July 15, 2022.