Johnny Depp Confirmed As Grindelwald For ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ – Fans Speak Out Harshly Over Casting Choice
About a week ago, news first broke that Johnny Depp was going to be cast in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The first film in the world of Harry Potter won’t even hit theaters until Nov. 18, but talk of the sequels is already running wild. The talk of Depp joining the series as Grindelwald was out there but nothing seemed concrete. Well, that is until today when Depp’s addition to the sequel was confirmed and fans went nuts.
Last week, Collider reported that Depp was going to take on the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Due to this casting, it was said that he may have a brief cameo role in the first film in the series due out next week.
Grindelwald was a friend of Albus Dumbledore during their teenage years who ended up leaving with the Elder Wand. This incident took place after the death of Dumbledore’s sister and it led to a lot of evil being done at the hand of Grindelwald which means he will likely be the true villain in this new franchise.
Now, the Leaky Cauldron has confirmed that Johnny Depp is indeed going to be in the sequel and that confirmation comes directly from director David Yates. For those that may not remember, Yates directed the last four films in the Harry Potter franchise and now, the first Fantastic Beasts.
When asked why Depp would take on the role of Grindelwald, Yates was fully prepared to give an answer and a detailed one at that.
“The whole principal of casting the movie was go with the best actor. Go for the most inspired, interesting, right fit for that character. And as we approached Grindelwald we thought, ‘Who’s going to take this in an interesting direction?’ In this business, it’s a weird old business. You’re brilliant one week, people are saying odd things the next, you go up and down. But no one takes away your pure talent. Johnny Depp is a real artist. He’s created several characters who have really resonated in our popular culture. He’s a really brilliant, brilliant actor. We were excited about seeing what he would do with this guy, the character. He’s fearless; he’s imaginative; he’s ambitious. We thought he would do something fun and special. So we went for him, purely on that selfish basis. We don’t care if he’s famous or not famous. We just know he’s interesting.”
He makes an interesting argument for Depp taking on the role and it is one that fans may end up respecting considering what Yates has brought to the Harry Potter franchise. Still, not all of the fans are overly thrilled with this response.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that fans have jumped all over the casting of Johnny Depp as Grindelwald and are not shy about voicing their displeasure.
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
Joining in on letting @jk_rowling know how disappointed I am that Johnny Depp will be appearing in the fantastic beasts series.
— Sarah Snitch (@SarahSnitch) November 2, 2016
Johnny Depp is in the new Harry Potter series, Bono is Woman of the Year, and Donald Trump might actually be president. 2016, you are drunk.
— Philip Ellis (@Philip_Ellis) November 2, 2016
Yes, the fans are not happy but they really can’t do much about it since the casting is done and Depp is going to be in the sequel. Sure, there may be some who speak out more or even boycott seeing the film, but it’s difficult to think it won’t be a success either way.
Fans may not like the casting of Johnny Depp in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but it’s a done deal. Director David Yates and producer David Heyman have teamed up again with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to continue the franchise that is popular around the world. No matter what, Depp is going to be Grindelwald unless something drastic happens and fans may have to find a way to life with it.
[Featured Image by Charley Gallay/Getty Images]
