Johnny Depp Quits 'Fantastic Beasts,' Dividing Fans Of JK Rowling Movie

The next installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise will not feature actor Johnny Depp.

On Friday Depp and Warner Bros. announced that he will no longer play the villainous wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

"I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request," Depp posted on Instagram.

Warner Bros. confirmed Depp's departure in a statement to Variety.

"Johnny Depp will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date," a Warner Bros. spokesperson said.

The third movie in the franchise, which stars Eddie Redmayne, is currently in production and scheduled to debut in summer 2022.

Depp earlier this week lost a libel suit against the publisher of Britain's The Sun newspaper over the publication's argument that he was an abusive husband.

Depp made reference to this judgment in his statement, saying he plans to continue his legal fight.

"The surreal judgment of the court in the U.K. will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal," he wrote. "My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time."

Depp debuted in the role of Gellert Grindelwald at the end of the first "Fantastic Beasts" film, released in 2016, but played on a much larger part in the second one, which charts the wizard's rise.

With Depp's departure, fans are now questioning whether Colin Farrell, the actor who technically originally played Grindelwald when the villain was in disguise, could return to the series.

Fans also seem to be divided on Depp's abrupt departure. Many argue that he is innocent of the suit while others believe he should've been ousted long ago.