JK Rowling defends Johnny Depp's casting in Fantastic Beasts sequel

Harry Potter author JK Rowling defended actor Johnny Depp's casting in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel on her personal website after many fans created a furore owing to the circumstances that lead to his recent divorce. 

Rowling, who said she thought Johnny Depp would be wonderful in the role, when the actor was cast as Grindelwald, ackowledged that the stories had appeared in the press "deeply concerned me and everyone most closely involved in the franchise. Harry Potter fans had legitimate questions and concerns about our choice to continue with Johnny Depp in the role."

She went to say that they had considered the possibility of recasting, and that she understood why some have been confused and angry about why that didn’t happen. "The inability to speak openly to fans about this issue has been difficult. However, the agreements that have been put in place to protect the privacy of two people, both of whom have expressed a desire to get on with their lives, must be respected. Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies," she added.

She concluded her statement by saying, "I accept that there will be those who are not satisfied with our choice of actor in the title role. We all have to do what we believe to be the right thing." 

Scheduled for a November 16, 2018 release date, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the sequel to last year's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, has a screenplay written by JK Rowling and is being directed by David Yates. Aside from Depp, the film will feature Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Jude Law, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, and Claudia Kim in starring roles.