Johnny Depp resigns from Fantastic Beasts after ruling he assaulted Amber Heard

JOHNNY DEPP SAID that he has been asked to give up the movie Fantastic Beasts as he criticized the “surreal trial” against him in his defamation case in Superior Court.

The actor said he plans to appeal the ruling that earlier this week found he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.

The 57-year-old man sued The Sun’s editor, News Group Newspapers (NGN), over a 2018 article that labeled him a “wife beater.”

Depp wrote on Instagram: “My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the accusations against me are false.

“My life and my career will not be defined at this time.”

He added: “The surreal judgment of the court in the UK will not change my struggle to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal.”

Depp said that “Warner Bros. asked him to resign from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and accepted that request.”

He added that he would like to thank “everyone who has given me their support and loyalty.”

“I have been humbled and touched by your many messages of love and concern, particularly in the past few days,” he added.

A statement from Warner Bros said: “Johnny Depp will be leaving 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 be released in 2022.

Depp brought legal action against NGN over a column from The Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton in 2018 that referred to “overwhelming evidence” that the actor attacked Ms. Heard, 34, during their relationship.

Wootton asked how Harry Potter author JK Rowling could be “really happy” that Depp had been cast in the latest film in the Fantastic Beasts spinoff franchise amid Ms. Heard’s accusations.

In a ruling Monday, Judge Nicol dismissed the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s claim, saying that NGN had shown what was in the article was “substantially true.”