Johnny Depp Hopes For A 'Better Time Ahead' In 2021 After Losing Legal Battle

Johnny Depp has said that he hopes for a “better time ahead” as he shared a holiday message with his fans on social media.

The 57-year-old actor took to Instagram and shared a black-and-white picture with The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. The photo was taken from the set of the documentary “Crock of Gold,” which was produced by Depp.

“This year has been so hard for so many. Here’s to a better time ahead,” Depp wrote on the image-sharing platform.

Fans were disappointed to see the fate of the actor following his legal battle and so they sent their good wishes to him on social media.

“Love you and support you all the way,” one of his fans wrote.

“Everything happens for a reason there is a silver lining to this grey cloud you've been through. We all believe in you and the world is behind you. You’re one of God angels. thanks to him and you for blessing us with such remarkable talent and a pure gentle soul,” another fan commented on Depp’s post.

“Thank you, Johnny! The same for you! We will succeed!” a different social media user wrote.

“Happy holidays and a Great New Year to you, our Legend!! We love and support you ALWAYS!!” another wrote along with heart emoji.

It was the first time the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star addressed his more than 9 million followers directly since he announced last month that Warner Bros. asked him to “resign” from his role in the upcoming “Fantastic Beasts” film.

The year 2020 has been an awful one for Depp. The actor spent a lot of time in court as he filed a libel case against The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater” in one of its reports. The actor sued the publishers and the author of the article for the claims that were made in April 2018. The star also vehemently denied all the accusations that were leveled against him by his ex-wife and actress Amber Heard.

However, Depp lost the case as the judge announced that “the article was not libelous after a contentious showdown this summer,” as per the court documents obtained by USA Today. Meanwhile, a former federal prosecutor said that Depp’s career was “over” and called him the next Harvey Weinstein after he lost the case.

“I predict his career may never recover. Disney has lost interest in Depp for its 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise, and I can't imagine any other major studio wanting to work with him. He's going to be the next Harvey Weinstein,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told Insider.

Depp doesn’t have any big projects in the pipeline as of late.