After the surprising news that Johnny Depp is leaving the Fantastic Beasts franchise, now, new details about the actor’s separation with Warner Bros. have been revealed.
According to a new report published by The Holywood Reporter, the studio was awaiting the outcome of the lawsuit filed by Depp against The Sun newspaper in England. Once the judge in the case ruled against the star and in favor of the testimony of his ex-wife, Amber Heard, Warner went ahead with the decision to recast Depp’s role in the franchise.
However, this brought forth some consequences for the studio. Although Johnny Depp shot only one scene before leaving production, Warner Bros. will have to pay a full salary to the artist, who according to THR, is in the eight digit range. This means that the fee is, at least, 10 million dollars.
Depp is the actor who will get the most from the cast of Fantastic Beasts, thanks to his box office history that was driven mainly by the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Thus, his contract requires that the actor be fully compensated, whether the film is made or not, and even if it is reformulated.
The report further states that there was no morale clause in his contract, which would certainly have been advantageous for the studio.
Even so, the third film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise will arise, with another actor taking on the role of the villain Gellert Grindelwald.
