FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD Director David Yates Defends Johnny Depp's Controversial Casting
While Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald remains one of the most anticipated films of 2018, nearly each and every piece of news surrounding the movie has been engulfed in a casting controversy.
After a brief cameo in 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 3x Academy Award-nominee Johnny Depp is expected to take on a much bigger role in the franchise moving forward, starting next year with the highly-anticipated sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald.
Now, while director David Yates, writer J.K. Rowling, and the producers have all re-confirmed Depp's involvment in the film multiple times, there has still been a relatively decent-sized controversy brewing on social media amongst a contingency of Potter fans that have taken issue with Depp's continued involvement in the franchise after his ex-wife Amber Heard (Aquaman) levied domestic abuse allegations against him early last year.
With the interwebs buzzing once again about Depp after the recently released cast photo, David Yates has decided to come out and set the record straight by defending his film's biggest star. In a statement delivered to Entertainment Weekly, Yates said, "Honestly, there’s an issue at the moment where there’s a lot of people being accused of things, they’re being accused by multiple victims, and it’s compelling and frightening, With Johnny, it seems to me there was one person who took a pop at him and claimed something. I can only tell you about the man I see every day: He’s full of decency and kindness, and that’s all I see. Whatever accusation was out there doesn’t tally with the kind of human being I’ve been working with."
He continued on a bit further, noting that each of Depp's exes, including Vanessa Pardis, Lori Anne Allison, and Winona Ryder, have come forward publically with statements, that strongly defending Depp. “By testament, some of the women in [Depp’s] life have said the same thing — ‘that’s not the human being we know,' It’s very different [than cases] where there are multiple accusers over many years that need to be examined and we need to reflect on our industry that allows that to roll on year in and year out. Johnny isn’t in that category in any shape or form. So to me, it doesn’t bear any more analysis. It’s a dead issue.”
The situation remains fairly sensitive as details about their very public break-up remain under wraps. However, based on what has been made available to the public, Heard initially accused Depp of emotionally and physically abusive and inebriated behavior during their one-year marriage in May of 2016. There was then a video of Depp having an outburst and a photo that later surfaced of Heard with a black eye, although several of her claims have been brought into question in the months since.
After a long back-and-forth, which saw Heard obtain a restraining order and dodge multiple court-ordered depositions, the pair ultimately reached a settlement and issued a joint statement, finally putting the matter to bed. "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm." Their divorce was made final in January 2017.
J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay for the film, which opens in 1927, a few months after Newt helped to unveil and capture the infamous Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. However, as he promised he would, Grindelwald has made a dramatic escape and has been gathering more followers to his cause—elevating wizards above all non-magical beings. The only one who might be able to stop him is the wizard he once called his dearest friend, Albus Dumbledore. But Dumbledore will need help from the wizard who had thwarted Grindelwald once before, his former student Newt Scamander. The adventure reunites Newt with Tina, Queenie and Jacob, but his mission will also test their loyalties as they face new perils in an increasingly dangerous and divided wizarding world. The film expands the wizarding world, moving from New York to London and on to Paris. There are also some surprising nods to the Harry Potter stories that will delight fans of the books and film series.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2 features:
Director: David Yates
Eddie Redmayne as Newton Scamander
Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Goldstein
Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone
Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange
Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander
Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald
Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery
Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Grimmson
David Sakurai as Krall
William Nadylam as Yusuf Kama
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Skender
Claudia Kim in an undisclosed role
Derek Riddell as Torquil Travers
Kevin Guthrie as Abernathy
Brontis Jodorowsky as Nicholas Flamel
Wolf Roth as Spielman
Victoria Yeates as Bunty
Poppy Corby-Tuech as Rosier
Cornell S John as Arnold Guzman
Jessica Williams in an undisclosed role
Fiona Glascott in an undisclosed role
Fantastic Beasts 2 apparates into theaters November 16, 2018
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