Actor Johnny Depp was dropped out of the "Fantastic Beasts" film franchise on Friday after losing a libel case against a British tabloid, which branded him as a "wife-beater."
According to the letter posted on Depp's Instagram, AT&T Inc's Warner Bros movie studio asked him to quit his role as the villain Gellert Grindelwald in the said film.
"I respected the request and agreed to it," the A-list actor stated.
Warner Bros stated that Depp "would quit the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise," and that they would recast a new actor for Grindelwald's role.
In his Instagram account, Depp wrote that the charges of domestic abuse against him were false and that he was preparing to challenge the judgment in the London libel trial against him.
"This moment in time will not determine my life and career," he said.
In the three-week libel trial in July, both Depp and Heard Lurid made harmful allegations on their turbulent marriage characterized by abuse on both sides, emphasizing Depp's heavy drinking.
On Monday, the judge ruled against Depp, writing that majority of alleged assaults by the actor “have been proved to the civil standard.”
Writer J.K Rowling made no response to Depp's departure.
In 2017, the British author was heavily criticized for casting Depp in the "Fantastic Beasts" movie after initial pieces of information about his divorce with Heard in 2016 broke out to the public.
Words by John Empeds Casul Layout by Lindy Lyne Aviles
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