Johnny Depp QUITS Fantastic Beasts role on request of Warner Bros

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Johnny Depp will never work in Hollywood again, a top lawyer has claimed, after he was fired from his Fantastic Beasts role following the Amber Heard ‘wife-beater’ libel trial. 

Depp, 57, was said to have had a ‘monster side’ by a judge who ruled that he did in fact beat Amber 12 times during their explosive marriage.

The American actor has now been forced to quit at the request of production company Warner Bros, despite having already shot some scenes for the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie.

His role as the villainous Gellert Grindelwald, which he played in the first two movies in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter spin-off series, will be recast.

And media lawyer Mark Stephens believes the sacking could end Depp’s career in Hollywood. 

He said: ‘This is devastating for Depp. He is now toxic. He will be known for ever as a wife beater, a drunkard and a druggie. It will be written on his headstone.’ 

In a bombshell statement Depp said he would battle the court judgement against him, declaring ‘My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time’.

He is understood to have earned £15.2million ($20million) for each film he appears in but Warner Bros taking the hard stance against him will spark speculation other big studios could be set to drop the star. 

He announced his departure despite having already shot some scenes for the new film.

In a statement, the film studio said: ‘Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date. Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theatres worldwide in the summer of 2022.’

The news could see Depp lose several other endorsements, including his lucrative $5million Dior deal to be the face of their popular cologne Sauvage. 

His case could mirror those of actors like Kevin Spacey who saw brands desert them in the wake of explosive legal battles. Sir Ridley Scott fired Spacey from 2018’s All The Money In The World after he was accused of sexual harassment and re-shot the entire film with Christopher Plummer in his place. 

Shortly after Depp’s announcement, his Fantastic Beasts co-star Zoe Kravitz left a cryptic post on Instagram. Though it is not known if it referred to Depp, it read: ‘Stop leaving out the part of the story where you f***** up.’ 

Miss Kravitz, who plays Leta Lestrange, had previously said she was ‘stoked’ to work with Depp on the film. 

Depp revealed his sacking on Instagram yesterday. 

He said: ‘In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement. Firstly I’d like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.

‘Secondly, I wish to let you know that i have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected that and agreed to that request.

‘Finally I wish to say this. The surreal judgement of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal.

‘My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time. Thank you for reading. Sincerely Johnny Depp.’

Depp’s post sparked new fury when he dismissed as ‘surreal’ this week’s verdict that he repeatedly attacked his ex-wife, Heard.

Survivors’ charity Women’s Aid accused him of trying to ‘minimise’ the judge’s findings.

A spokesman told the Sun: ‘The allegations of domestic abuse were extremely serious.

‘The judge ruled that Depp had abused Ms Heard on 12 occasions, and ruled that, as Depp said in a text, he had ‘no mercy’ for her.

‘It is vital that this is not minimised or dismissed in any way.’   

In the aftermath of the news, Depp’s fans took to social media to throw their support behind the actor and criticise Warner Bros. 

They have also started a petition calling for the removal of Heard from the upcoming Aquaman 2 movie, also released by the same studio.   

Warner Bros and JK Rowling originally stood by Depp’s casting in the film after Miss Heard first accused the actor of being physically abusive in 2017. 

The British author said that she was ‘not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies’.

She added: ‘I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. However, conscience isn’t governable by committee. Within the fictional world and outside it, we all have to do what we believe to be the right thing.’

Last night Miss Rowling declined to comment on the production company’s U-turn.

Depp had taken The Sun to court over an article which had labelled him a wife-beater, but lost the case.

He now faces a desperate battle to salvage his career after losing the blockbuster libel action and being labelled a wife beater, according to a top celebrity crisis management expert.

Mark Borkowski said for the 57-year-old to resume his career would be the equivalent of ‘climbing Mt Everest without oxygen, barefoot and in his underpants’.

He said: ‘His reputation is in tatters. Having lost this libel case he will always be known as a wife beater. Whenever he is interviewed by a journalist, he will be asked about this and if he is a wife beater.

‘It does not get any worse for him. Hollywood is very corporate and risk adverse with its money. Those making film franchises will not want to take the risk. This is a personal disaster for him. For him to come back will be the equivalent of climbing Mt Everest without oxygen, in his underpants and barefoot. That’s how hard it will be.’

Borkowski, whose clients include Noel Edmunds and Led Zeppelin star Jimmy Page, said Depp’s one hope was his huge worldwide fan base who will support him despite the verdict in the High Court.

‘Don’t write him off just yet. He is still very popular, so I would never say never that he will come back. He has a huge fan base who will still support him.’

‘There is also the #MeToo movement and Hollywood is engaged in a cultural war. He might not get involved in the big blockbusters, but there are also smaller independent films.

Borkowski questioned the decision by Depp bring the case against The Sun newspaper.

‘I am sure he now regrets bringing this case but he obviously felt it was necessary.’

Other reputation management experts agreed that Depp faces the end of his career.

Steven Heffer, Head of Media and Privacy at law firm Collyer Bristow said: ‘Depp’s strategy was high risk and has proved an absolute disaster. It is often best not to risk all for these sort of legal cases. 

‘A better approach may have been to publish a public statement denying the allegations.

‘That would have left question marks but would have avoided the disaster scenario. 

‘Nobody can be forced to bring a libel claim, and given the stormy background of the relationship it was probably unwise to do so.

‘Unfortunately for Depp, it is highly likely to have been a career-ending decision. What it does mean is that the future of the other legal actions is uncertain.’

Depp still faces a hearing in the America where he is suing his former wife for £39m in a defamation suit following a 2018 article for The Washington Post where she discussed domestic violence.

Depp had hoped a victory in the High Court in London would bolster his case which is not likely to be heard until 2021.

Amber Melville- Brown from law firm Withers said the libel defeat could see Depp drop the defamation suit.

She said: ‘Johnny and Amber are set to meet again in the courts of Virginia, USA in May 2021 regarding a comment piece she wrote in the Washington Post – a piece that he says means that he is violent towards women.

‘Not only will the extensive evidence in the case ‘over here’ be dissected by the attorneys ‘over there’ but this judgment may stop the US proceedings in its tracks.

‘While the accusations may be slightly different, the legal systems are even more so, and the burden of proof on the defendant in the label courts of England and Wales is much higher than it is in the US.

‘Accordingly, Depp’s failure to convince a British judge to that higher standard may sink the American libel ship of Hollywood’s most famous pirate of the Caribbean.’

Phil Hall, who runs the PHA Group, said the only way back for Depp was to admit his mistakes.

He said: ‘There has to be a mea culpa and clean himself up, get off drink and drunks and show that he has changed. If he doesn’t do that then his career could be over.’

Following a blockbuster 16-day trial London‘s High Court Mr Justice Nicol said he accepted that the 57-year-old actor had hit Heard on 12 of the 14 times she had claimed. 

In his ruling the judge found Depp had attacked his ex-wife Heard a dozen times and said he accepted that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor became a ‘monster’ when he binged on drink and drugs.  

Jubilant Heard’s lawyers said they were ‘not surprised’ by her stunning victory in which the judge found she had been beaten by the actor while he was out of control on cocaine, pills and booze. 

But Depp’s lawyers blasted the judge, saying, calling the ruling ‘as perverse as it is bewildering’. 

In a statement, the raging actor’s lawyers Schillings said: ‘Most troubling is the Judge’s reliance on the testimony of Amber Heard, and corresponding disregard of the mountain of counter-evidence from police officers, medical practitioners, her own former assistant, other unchallenged witnesses and an array of documentary evidence which completely undermined the allegations, point by point. 

‘All of this was overlooked. 

‘The judgment is so flawed that it would be ridiculous for Mr Depp not to appeal this decision.’ 

The result leaves Depp facing financial ruin, although neither party comes out of the tawdry spectacle completely untarnished as the court was told of allegations of drug-taking and infidelity on both sides.

Depp sued the Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article published in the Sun in April 2018 that originally carried the headline ‘Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?’

Heard, 34, who was the newspaper’s chief witness, tearfully told the court of 14 occasions during their toxic relationship when he assaulted her, providing graphic details of his drink and drugs-fuelled attacks.

Mr Justice Nicol threw out the fallen actor’s claim, saying the publisher had proved what was in the article to be ‘substantially true’.

The judge concluded that Depp had beaten a dozen times, beginning in 2013 when he slapped the actress across the face when she made a comment about a tattoo on his arm that he changed from ‘Winona Forever’ to ‘Wino Forever’ when he split up with Winona Ryder. 

Referring to that incident, Mr Justice Nicol said: ‘While Ms Heard had probably seen the tattoo many times before this incident in early 2013, that does not eliminate the possibility that a combination of factors (particularly Mr Depp’s consumption of alcohol and drugs) led him to react violently to a perceived slight by Ms Heard.’

The judge added that Heard calling Depp a monster while he was on drink and drugs was ‘not a figment of her imagination.’

He added: ‘I accept her evidence that Mr Depp used the term to refer to that part of his personality when, affected by drink and/or drugs he would do things which he would not otherwise do and of which he might have no recollection afterwards.’

He dismissed two allegations made by Heard in 2014 and 2015 – but said he couldn’t conclude she had been untruthful about it.

In dismissing Depp’s claims, the judge said: ‘The claimant has not succeeded in his action for libel.

‘Although he has proved the necessary elements of his cause of action in libel, the defendants have shown that what they published in the meaning which I have held the words to bear was substantially true.

‘I have reached these conclusions having examined in detail the 14 incidents on which the defendants rely as well as the overarching considerations which the claimant submitted I should take into account.’

Heard’s legal team are now looking ahead to a second, $50million libel suit in the US in May where Depp is suing Heard over a column she wrote on being the victim of domestic violence in the Washington Post. 

‘For those of us present for the London High Court trial, this decision and Judgment are not a surprise,’ they said in a statement.

‘Very soon, we will be presenting even more voluminous evidence in the U.S. We are committed to obtaining Justice for Amber Heard in the U.S. Court and defending Ms Heard’s Right to Free Speech.’

A spokesperson for the newspaper said: ‘The Sun has stood up and campaigned for the victims of domestic abuse for over 20 years.

‘Domestic abuse victims must never be silenced and we thank the judge for his careful consideration and thank Amber Heard for her courage in giving evidence to the court.’

The defeat leaves Depp, who told the court he had lost $650million through financial mismanagement at the height of his Pirates of the Caribbean fame, facing legal fees of £5million – with his costs estimated to be £3m and The Sun’s costs believed to be a fraction less at £2m. 

The Sun will now submit their costs for the case to the court and, as the loser, Depp will pick up the bill.

Depp denied all the allegations, claiming all the Aquaman actress’s claims were a ‘hoax’ – and accused her of attacking him.

Depp’s description of his ex-wife as a ‘gold-digger’, was also thrown out by the judge, saying: ‘I do not accept this characterisation of Ms Heard.’ 

Both Depp and Heard gave evidence in what was dubbed ‘the libel trial of the century’ as the two traded accusations over who perpetrated the domestic violence during their stormy relationship.

They met on the set of ‘The Rum Diary,’ in 2009, married in February 2015 with Depp filing for divorce in May 2016.

The trial captivated the world’s attention amid stunning details about Depp’s drink and drugs binges, his huge spending and fragile finances and the couple’s jet-set life and toxic relationship relationship.

The embarrassing revelations from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial: From the ‘disco bloodbath’ to THAT messy bed photo… the lurid details of couples’ chaotic marriage dredged up in court

Johnny Depp‘s defeat in the High Court today brings an end to one of the most extraordinary celebrity marriage rows to have ever aired in full public view. 

For two weeks over the summer legions of fans around the world watched stunned as explosive revelations from the actor’s turbulent relationship with Amber Heard made waves.

Armed with the most lurid details of their messy marriage and subsequent divorce, lawyers representing Depp and The Sun newspaper dropped daily bombshells in an attempt to negatively portray the other side.

One of the most jaw-dropping claims resulted in the now notorious ‘poo-gate’ in which Depp, 57, alleged that Heard, 34, had defecated in their marital bed – which the actress blamed on their dogs.

And Heard, who was The Sun’s star witness against Depp’s accusations he had unfairly been branded a ‘wife-beater’, told the court he had once flew into a violent rage and hit her so hard that blood splattered on the wall. 

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star was this morning handed defeat in London, but the no-holds-barred nature of the case will leave many wondering if there were any winners.

Here, MailOnline recounts the most shocking claims. 

THE DEFECATION INCIDENT 

This came to be known as ‘poo-gate,’ and took place in Los Angeles in April 2016 during Heard’s 30th birthday party.

Depp told the court that he arrived two hours late, after receiving some bad news about his financial losses and that a row broke out between him and Heard.

She told that court that her ex-husband threw a magnum champagne bottle at her and shoved her to the floor several times before leaving a note reading ‘Happy F***ing Birthday’.

The next day, Depp alleged that he had been informed that Heard had defecated in their marital bed and told the building manager that it was ‘just a harmless prank.

He admitted in court that at first, he laughed about the incident, referring to his ex-wife as ‘Amber Turd,’ but it was around this point that he decided to divorce her and moved out of their penthouse.

Heard blamed their small dog Boo for the faeces and told the court that she would never do something so ‘absolutely disgusting.’

She claimed the dog had a problem with messing itself ‘since the weed’- claiming Boo ate a bag of Depp’s cannabis as a puppy.

THE PHONE THROWING INCIDENT 

A month later in May 2016 Depp told the court that he returned to the penthouse to collect his belongings with his private security guards Jerry Judge and Sean Betts.

Heard said Depp became ‘very angry’, throwing her phone at her and hitting her in the eye before smashing ‘everything he could’ with a magnum of champagne after they started rowing over the defecation incident.

Depp claimed his two security guards entered the room when they heard Heard shouting, and saw her ‘repeatedly screaming, ‘stop hitting me, Johnny’ while he was 20 feet away in the kitchen.

He also says that two police officers who attended the apartment after the incident ‘saw no injuries or bruising or swelling’.

Both officers also gave evidence via video link and claimed that they did not see Heard with any injuries.

AUSTRALIA 2015 

Depp was accused of repeatedly assaulting Heard after an argument over his alleged use of MDMA during a three-day trip to Australia, while he was filming Pirates of the Caribbean. 

She told the court that he stayed up all night, taking pills and drinking, and then attacked her again the next morning.

The following night, he pushed her into a table tennis table, tore off her nightgown and attacked her, before smashing a telephone into a wall and severing the top of his middle finger.

The court was shown photographs of a mansion they were staying in, which Heard claimed Depp daubed with graffiti using his blood and smashed up parts of it up.

She claims he wrote messages to her around the house in a mixture of paint and blood from his finger – which Mr Depp admitted doing while ‘in shock’ – as well as having ‘urinated all over the house in an attempt to write messages.’

Depp claimed that it was Heard who was violent, throwing a bottle at him which severed the top of his finer and stubbing a cigarette out on his cheek, resulting in him being taken to hospital. 

THE LATE LATE SHOW 

The High Court was also played excerpts of Heard’s appearance on The Late, Late Show with James Corden in December 2015.

Twenty-four hours before it she claimed that Depp slapped her, dragged her by the hair through their apartment – pulling clumps of her hair out – and then repeatedly punched her in the head, leaving her with ‘tons of injuries’ including bruised ribs and arms, bruises all over her body, two black eyes, a broken nose and a broken lip.

When asked by Depp’s lawyer Eleanor Laws QC why none of the injuries to her face were visible when she appeared on live television, Heard replied that she had covered them up with makeup. 

THE PLANE INCIDENT 

Depp and Heard took a private plane from Boston to LA. She claimed that during that time he was drinking heavily, threw objects at her, pushed a chair at her, slapped her and kicked her in the back before passing out in the toilet.

Depp says Heard ‘began to harangue him’ as he was sketching in a notebook, he then tried to ‘playfully tap her on the bottom with his foot’, at which Miss Heard took ‘great offence’ and continued to verbally berate him.

The court was also played an audio recording taken during the incident. During the 18-second clip a woman’s voice can be heard saying ‘keep an eye on him,’ while what sounds like a man makes long, low moans.

While giving evidence, Depp did not confirm that it was him but admitted that he could not remember anybody else making that noise on the plane.

He described the noise as sounding ‘like an animal in pain,’ to which Sasha Wass QC, the Sun’s lawyer responded: ‘I think you are that animal.’

‘DISCO BLOOD BATH’ INCIDENT  

The court was also shown photographs of Heard’s trashed LA home taken in March 2013. She claimed that the actor became angry and jealous when she had hung a painting, by her ex-partner Tasya Van Ree, by her bed.

Depp was also accused of trying to set it on fire and hitting Heard so hard that blood from her lip ended up on the wall.

Depp maintained that he simply asked Heard to move the painting from the bedroom ‘as a courtesy’ and that she had an ‘extreme reaction’. 

He also says a text he sent later, describing the evening as a ‘disco bloodbath’, was designed to placate Heard and not an apology for alleged violence.

AUSTRALIA DOG SMUGGLING INCIDENT 

Heard was accused of forcing two of Depp’s staff to lie about their two dogs being taken to Australia in April 2015, despite them repeatedly telling her that it was not legal for them to be taken.

Kevin Murphy, who worked for the Pirates of the Caribbean star for almost eight years, alleged that Heard had ‘demanded’ he make a false statement about the animals being ‘smuggled’ into the country.

He also alleged in a statement that she had asked him to contact her former assistant Kate James and ask her to lie under oath to an Australian court.

In October 2015 Heard faced criminal proceedings in Australia for taking the couple’s two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, into the country illegally.

She and Depp recorded a now-famous video in 2016 apologising for doing so.

Murphy claim that he was put ‘under pressure’ by Heard for making a false statement, which he later retracted once she and Depp split.

A PINT OF WHISKY AND FOUR LINES FOR LUNCH  

The High Court was shown photographs Johnny Depp’s drink and drug-filled lifestyle, including an image taken by Heard that shows a pint of whisky, four lines of cocaine and his skull and crossbones ‘pill box’ ready for consumption at 1.37pm.

Heard took the photo at her LA home in 2013 before the couple had another blazing row about his drug and alcohol use – on the afternoon when he was supposed to be filming a documentary on Rolling Stone Keith Richards.

One photograph shows a glass table littered with mountains of alcohol and drugs, with four lines of cocaine cut for use next to his driving licence and a tube.

A skull and crossbones ‘pill box’ with ‘Property of JD’ written across the top, which Depp said ‘probably’ contained drugs at the time the photograph was taken, is to one side.

‘WINO FOREVER’  TATTOO INCIDENT

Heard alleged that Depp slapped her in 2013 after she laughed at a tattoo which read ‘Wino forever’. 

Depp originally got the tattoo reading ‘Winona Forever’ in tribute to his then girlfriend Winona Ryder, and changed it after they broke up in 1993.

Depp was asked in court if he had taken cocaine at the time of the alleged slapping in March 2013. Depp said it was ‘difficult to recollect’ but it was ‘possible’. 

The Sun’s barrister asked Depp about a tattoo he had done on his arm during his relationship with actress Winona Ryder, which read ‘Winona Forever’ and which he had changed to ‘Wino Forever’ after they split.