"F*ck you. There's far too many of me to kill"- Johnny Depp takes a blunt jab at the makers of Fantastic Beasts on his removal from the film

Johnny Depp recently reflected on his exit from the Fantastic Beasts trilogy in November 2020. He played the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the first two films of the billion-dollar franchise before he was asked to resign by Warner Bros.

The studio decided to part ways with Depp the day after he lost the libel case against The Sun for calling him a 'wife-beater' in April 2018, about his marriage to Amber Heard. He sued the tabloid newspaper, but lost the lawsuit as the judge found the claim to be "substantially true."

On July 5, 2025, the Hollywood A-lister shared with The Telegraph how he responded to the decision by Warner Bros.

"F*ck you. There’s far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I’ve already been hurt you’re gravely mistaken," the actor said.

Johnny Depp starred in two Fantastic Beasts films before his exit

Johnny Depp appeared as Gellert Grindelwald in the franchise's first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, released on November 18, 2016. He appeared at the very end of the movie and had a more prominent role in its 2018 sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

But, after filming the third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, for a single day in November 2020, Depp was asked to step down from the role. On November 6, 2020, the 62-year-old star stated on his Instagram account that he was asked to resign by the studio and "agreed to that request." In the same interview with The Telegraph, Depp shared that he felt the studio wanted him to "retire."

On the same day, Warner Bros. confirmed in their official statement that Johnny Depp would not be a part of the franchise's third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which was released in April 2022. The statement said in part:

"Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date."

He was replaced by the Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen in the third film.

Furthermore, J.K. Rowling had initially planned the Fantastic Beasts franchise to feature five films; however, due to the lackluster performance of the last two films, the future of the series is put on hold indefinitely.

A look at Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's US trial

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard as seen at the premiere of The Danish Girl in 2015 (Image via Getty)

Johnny Depp married his The Rum Diary co-star Amber Heard on February 3, 2015, in a civil ceremony after a few years of dating. However, their marriage was tumultuous and marred with physical, verbal, and emotional abuse on both sides. Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016, and it was finalized in January 2017.

The following year, in December 2018, the Aquaman star claimed in an op-ed for The Washington Post that she was a "victim of domestic and se*ual violence." Although she didn't name Depp directly, the Pirates of the Caribbean star's image was damaged in the press to such an extent that J.K. Rowling had to defend Depp's casting in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in December 2017.

In a bid to clear his name, Depp sued his ex-wife for $50 million in damages in March 2019, while Heard countersued for $100 million in damages. The case went to trial for six weeks from April 11, 2022, to June 1, 2022.

The verdict claimed that Heard had defamed Depp on three counts, awarding him $5 million in punitive damages and $10 million in compensatory damages. The jury also found Depp guilty of defaming Heard, through his lawyer Adam Waldman, on one count, and awarded her $2 million in compensatory damages.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by pratigya dhali