Johnny Depp Returning In ‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ Sparks Outrage, Will Star Ever Shake Negative Perception?

Johnny Depp just can’t seem to shake the negative press from the past year, ever since his now-ex-wife, Amber Heard, alleged that the star abused her on a number of occasions.

Depp has continued to deny these allegations, and the former couple even released a joint statement that all but rescinded the claims made by Heard, yet a cloud of judgement seems to still loom over the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.

The Independent reminded readers of the joint statement released by the former couple.

“Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm. “

The recent criticism regarding the star involves Depp’s cameo in the first Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them film, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. The short cameo by the actor at the end of the first film of an upcoming franchise, led to fans of the books criticizing Rowling for her choice to portray Gerlert Grindelwald, the dark wizard, by selecting Depp to do so.

News has recently been shared over Twitter that Johnny Depp will play an even larger role in Fantastic Beasts 2, and once again, fans have chimed in with even more criticism and threats to boycott the films entirely until Depp is replaced.

Digital Spy notes words of one Twitter user who questioned the author, writing “@jk_rowling why is Johnny Depp still part of Fantastic Beasts? I’m surely gonna boycott it due to his presence.”

Another weighed in, writing “The reason why I won’t spend a single dime in ‘Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald’ is because there’s Johnny Depp in it and I promised myself I would boycott all of his films. I just don’t get why someone as vocal as J.K. Rowling accepted that he play in the film…”

As noted, Depp has continued to take heat for the accusations and restraining order brought against him by Amber Heard. The star’s box office performance has also suffered over the past couple of years leading Depp to fall off the Forbes “Highest Paid Actor” list this year.

Ahead of criticism for the Fantastic Beasts 2 announcement, Depp’s presence as a seemingly menacing and threatening-looking addition to the Murder On the Orient Express trailer and other promotional film clips was also criticized. This does beg the question as to whether Johnny Depp will ever find his way out from under the negative spotlight that has been placed on him for over a year now.

[Featured Image By John Phillips /Getty Images]