"Pirates of the Caribbean" actor Johnny Depp adds to the cast of "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them," an upcoming movie set in the Harry Potter universe, as confirmed by Warner Bros on Wednesday. Also, during a fan event earlier this month in Hollywood, J.K. Rowling made a surprise announcement that she finished the plot for five films in the Fantastic Beast franchise, said The Hollywood Reporter.
Eddie Redmayne is still the "Fantastic Beasts" star, portraying magizoologist Newt Scamander, who finds himself in 1920s New York. It's seems that Depp will only have a cameo in the first "Fantastic Beasts" film, which hits theaters in two weeks, and his role may be expanded in later films. Depp will play dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, considered second only to Voldemort in deadlines. Casting Depp as Grindelwald can offer the "Fantastic Beasts" films a chance to stage the famous and deadly match between Grindelwald and a younger Albus Dumbledore, who later becomes Harry Potter's beloved Hogwarts headmaster. J.K. Rowling said in a 2007 Carnegie Hall appearance that Dumbledore once had romantic feelings for Grindelwald.
However, the news about Depp's recent divorce with Amber Heard greatly affected the reaction of fans to his inclusion in the aforementioned films. In an August divorce settlement, Heard officially withdrew her request for a domestic violence restraining order against Depp despite repeated accusations of verbal and physical abuse. According to CNET, Melissa Anelli, board president of the Harry Potter Alliance fan activism group, believes that the casting news is being revealed now, more than two weeks ahead of the film's premiere, to test fans' reactions to Depp's role in light of Heard's allegations of verbal and physical abuse.
"Maybe they're going to just stick with (Depp's) contract and want to soften ground before making it real; maybe they're testing the waters to see if reaction is bad enough that they should explore whatever it takes to get out of it," Anelli writes on Medium. Moreover, in a joint statement, Depp and heard said, "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain."
Despite the peace implied in the joint statement, it's clear from social media that many fans still hold strong opinions about Depp's role in the relationship. One twitter user even said: "I can't believe out of all the actors in the world who haven't been accused of domestic abuse, they picked johnny depp to be gindelwald. :( "
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