Johnny Depp Says He Was "Fired" From 'Fantastic Beasts' Role: "They Wanted Me to Retire"

Fallen Hollywood icon Johnny Depp discusses being fired from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. In 2016, Warner Bros. and the Wizarding World franchise seemingly had a big get with the reveal that Johnny Depp had signed on to play the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald for a cameo in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with him being set up to be the main villain across the five planned films. However, the casting came five months after Depp's then-wife, Amber Heard, filed a restraining order against Depp, accusing him of domestic abuse. By 2020, Warner Bros. asked Depp to step down after the actor lost his U.K. libel case against The Sun, which had accused him of being a domestic abuser.