With Johnny Depp part of\u00a0a very public\u00a0legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, Warner Bros. made the controversial decision to replace him as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.<\/p>\n
Doctor Strange\u00a0and Casino Royale star Mads Mikkelsen stepped in to pick up where Depp left off with the threequel, and the response to his take on the villain was a positive one for the most part. However, fans and critics liked little else about the sequel, and the franchise has since been scrapped (leaving the story unresolved and unlikely to ever be concluded).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Depp’s dismissal is far from the sole reason The Secrets of Dumbledore\u00a0grossed only $407.2 million worldwide on a $200 million budget. However,\u00a0the fact that he was essentially fired after shooting one scene didn’t foster much goodwill from those who rallied around the\u00a0Pirates of the Caribbean star in his\u00a0war with Heard.<\/p>\n
While Depp discussed leaving the project during 2022’s Depp v. Heard\u00a0trial, the actor talked more about being\u00a0ousted from the Wizarding World in an interview with The Telegraph<\/a>\u00a0(via SFFGazette.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n “Listen, they\u2019ve said all kinds of things out there in the world about me, and it doesn\u2019t bother me. I\u2019m not running for office,”<\/strong> he started. “It literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie. They said we\u2019d like you to resign. But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire.”<\/strong><\/p>\n Asked what his response to that was at the moment, Depp added, “F*** you. There\u2019s far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I\u2019ve already been hurt you\u2019re gravely mistaken.”<\/strong><\/p>\n Depp played\u00a0Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts:\u00a0The Crimes of Grindelwald.\u00a0Mikkelsen did a fine job, but the sudden casting change proved jarring.<\/p>\n While Depp has mounted a comeback over the past couple of years, he’s yet to star\u00a0in another big budget mainstream project. As yo can see below, there are still rumblings that Disney wants him back for another\u00a0Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and that would be a potential game-changer for the actor’s standing in Hollywood as he looks to return to the A-List.<\/p>\n “It was very intimidating,”<\/strong>\u00a0Mikkelsen previously said of filling in for the actor.\u00a0“Obviously, well, now the course has changed – he won the suit, the court [case] – so let\u2019s see if he comes back. He might.”<\/strong><\/p>\n “I\u2019m a big fan of Johnny. I think he\u2019s an amazing actor, I think he did a fantastic job. Having said that, I could not copy it. There\u2019s there was no way I could just copy it, because it\u2019s so much him. It would be creative suicide,”<\/strong>\u00a0he continued.\u00a0“So, we had to come up with something else, something that was mine, and build a bridge between him and me. So, yes, it was intimidating.”<\/strong><\/p>\n “His fans were very, very sweet, but they were also very stubborn. I didn\u2019t interact too much with them, but I could understand why they had their hearts broken.”<\/strong><\/p>\n Weigh in with your thoughts on Depp’s remarks in the comments section below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow is in the script for the nexy Pirates of the Caribbean film in a supporting role<\/p>\n Thoughts? pic.twitter.com\/lNgGho0S4r<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n\u2014 MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) July 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n