Not long after the news broke that Johnny Depp would be joining the Fantastic Beasts franchise the internet started freaking out – and not in a good way.
Thousands of Fantastic Beasts fans may be sending Howlers to Warner Bros. over the next few days. After news broke that alleged domestic abuser Johnny Depp would be joining the Fantastic Beasts sequel fans took to social media to express their anger and disgust. Depp will play Grindelwald, the dark wizard responsible for the first wizarding war in the Harry Potter cannon. Grindelwald also happens to be the lover of young Albus Dumbledore.
Fueled by Depp’s alleged domestic abuse charges towards Amber Heard, fans didn’t take kindly to the A-list actor’s involvement with the beloved and sacred Potter prequel.
We asked Twitter to react to the news in a poll and things are not looking good for Johnny Depp at the moment. At the time of this writing, half of poll participants say they’re not happy with the decision:
What is your reaction to Johnny Depp joining the #FantasticBeasts franchise?
— HypaBOO (@Hypable) November 2, 2016
And this is the second time this year that the Potter fandom was shocked by casting news.
Johnny Depp/Grindelwald news is rocking the Harry Potter fandom as hard as Noma Dumezweni/Black Hermione did (for very different reasons)
— Andrew Sims (@sims) November 2, 2016
Fans react to the news of Johnny Depp’s casting
A quick search of the trending topic “Johnny Depp” on Twitter reveals many negative reactions to the actor’s involvement with Fantastic Beasts.
I'm livid about the Johnny Depp casting. It's revealed that you attacked and abused your wife and then you get this? No. Absolutely not.
— Rosianna Halse Rojas (@papertimelady) November 2, 2016
. @sims WB fires Jamie Waylett (Crabbe) from DH for cannabis possession but hires Johnny Depp? ???
— Rachel McCarthy (@smilesandcake) November 2, 2016
Johnny Depp abuses women & continues to have a successful career. Amber Heard is abused by Depp & is shunned by Hollywood.
— Agent Beyoncé (@RoyalHoeliness) November 2, 2016
ppl are excited about johnny depp being in the fantastic beasts movies as if we didn't just learn this year that he's an abusive dick ?
— obi wan bon jovi (@tomhardty) November 2, 2016
@sims @Hypable BREAKING: Sequel to be titled 'Fantastic Beasts and How To Smuggle Them Into Australia'
— Bryce Anthony (@brycekc) November 2, 2016
hi, i'm johnny depp. after a successful multi-year project to ruin myself i've decided to branch out into ruining other stuff you once liked
— the spooky papa (@markpopham) November 2, 2016
"Johnny Depp joins the cast of the Fantastic Beasts sequel."
Me: pic.twitter.com/wvD6uj7wVQ
— Denizcan James (@MrFilmkritik) November 1, 2016
"Johnny Depp joins Fantastic beast…" pic.twitter.com/q2JmENzLW2
— Malfoy, Bethany (@FanPotterhead) November 2, 2016
@sims Good, easy to recast.
— Rosianna Halse Rojas (@papertimelady) November 2, 2016
@sims @Hypable #heforshe and also #nastywomen have much work to do pic.twitter.com/YGIU6eWmtD
— Amy W (@wamyelizabeth) November 2, 2016
Meanwhile, Warner Brothers appears to be staying silent:
WB spokesman says studio doesn't comment on personal matters when asked whether there's concern abt a Depp backlash due to abuse allegations
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) November 2, 2016
As many people said on Twitter and elsewhere, Hollywood has a tendency to excuse or quickly forget about abuse allegations. In the case of Depp and Heard, their divorce — which was triggered by the domestic abuse allegations in May — was settled in August. Here we are three months later, and Depp has a new franchise on his hands.
The concerns over Depp’s casting are appearing beyond Twitter where there’s more room for analysis. The Leaky Cauldron’s Melissa Anelli writes on Medium that the “leak” of the casting may be a test balloon to see how the fandom would react. As Rosi’s tweet above proposes, if we only see the back of Depp’s head in Fantastic Beasts 1, then they still have a chance to recast him for Fantastic Beasts 2 and beyond (unless contracts prevent such a thing).
Of course, some people are very excited by the news. There’s a big Johnny Depp fandom out there, and that’s exactly why Warner Brothers hired him. Surely the hope is that Depp can increase the film’s box office tallies from Fantastic Beasts 2 onward, where he’ll likely have a very prominent role as Grindelwald.
Depp might — MIGHT — be able to draw in new audiences who aren’t necessarily Harry Potter fans. The fact is that this was purely a box office decision. Between this and the five film announcement, you can’t help but take a remark like this seriously:
@sims Well this is quickly becoming a project that exists for all the wrong reasons & wreaks of desperation ?
— Brandon Kirby (@bkkirby) November 2, 2016
What is your reaction to the news of Johnny Depp playing Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts sequel? Though we are only a few weeks away from the premiere, the sequel — where Depp will have a larger presence — is slated to hit theaters in November 2018.
Additional reporting by Andrew Sims.
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