Is Johnny Depp’s Hollywood movie career finished? Fantastic Beasts role loss could be least of his problems

Depp was ‘asked to resign’ from his Fantastic Beasts role after losing a libel case involving allegations in The Sun newspaper that he was a ‘wife beater’

While some actors have made comebacks after drug problems – think Robert Downey Jnr – this tag will be much harder to shift, especially post-#MeToo

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American actor Johnny Depp arrives to attend day nine of his libel trial against News Group Newspapers at the High Court in London on July 17. His subsequent loss could spell the end of his Hollywood movie career. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:15am, 10 Nov 2020Updated: 7:31pm, 11 Nov 2020

When the announcement came, it was no surprise. “I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts,” wrote Johnny Depp on Instagram. “I have respected and agreed to that request.” The J.K. Rowling-scripted franchise, prequels to the Harry Potter series, will have to find a new villain.

It arrived just days after Depp lost his libel case against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, owner of British tabloid The Sun, which published an article in 2018 alleging he was a “wife beater” in reference to his former spouse, actress Amber Heard. Depp and Heard appeared in court in London in July, as lurid stories of Depp’s drinking and drug-taking, and excessive Hollywood lifestyle, went public.

That alone would not be enough to flatten Depp’s career. The 57-year-old actor has always been the Hollywood outsider, the very antithesis to clean-cut A-listers; his friendships have included the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, whom he played in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who inspired his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

As Depp’s own doctor said during legal proceedings, the actor “romanticises the drug culture”, although narcotic issues have clearly never been enough to derail a Hollywood career. Robert Downey Jnr recovered from terrible drug problems to become one of the highest paid actors in the world, thanks to his role as Iron Man in the Marvel franchise. Everybody loves a comeback, especially in Tinseltown.

Depp as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Photo: TNS

Yet whether Depp will ever come back from this is not clear. After the news of Depp’s “resignation” from the Fantastic Beasts series went viral, The Sun gleefully ran an article with the headline: “Wife beater Johnny Depp ‘will never work in Hollywood again’ after being axed from Fantastic Beasts.” Media lawyer Mark Stephens was quoted as saying: “This is devastating for Depp. He is now toxic.”