Put an alleged abuser in your movie and you're going to get some deservedly bad PR, film studio Warner Bros has learned.
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Harry Potter fans have taken to social media to vent their anger at news that Johnny Depp - the once bankable A-lister, who this year was accused of violently abusing former partner Amber Heard - has been cast in J.K. Rowling's new film franchise, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
Warner Bros confirmed the news on Wednesday, revealing that Depp will star as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, a villain with an especially close relationship to fan favourite Dumbledore, in the upcoming film's subsequent sequels, of which author Rowling has indicated there will be at least four.
The news was met with disappointment and dismay by the series' fans, considering Depp's ugly recent history.
"I'm livid about the Johnny Depp casting," wrote one prominent blogger. "It's revealed that you attacked and abused your wife and then you get this? No. Absolutely not."
Others took their complaints directly to Rowling, herself a prolific Tweeter, who has yet to comment on the debacle.
I'm livid about the Johnny Depp casting. It's revealed that you attacked and abused your wife and then you get this? No. Absolutely not.— Rosianna Halse Rojas (@papertimelady) November 2, 2016
Joining in on letting @jk_rowling know how disappointed I am that Johnny Depp will be appearing in the fantastic beasts series.— Sarah Snitch (@SarahSnitch) November 2, 2016
johnny depp pic.twitter.com/wcXAcT3Qof— victória (@foofightin) November 2, 2016
Haven't seen a single positive tweet about Johnny Depp's casting in FANTASTIC BEASTS. This can't be the kind of PR that WB was hoping for...— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) November 2, 2016
glad we're all in agreeance that Warner Bros. grossly miscalculated public perception of Johnny Depp in 2016— Brett Redacted (@BrettRedacted) November 2, 2016
grindelwald's an evil character but he still deserves better than johnny depp— laur (@laurelmcbeath) November 2, 2016
Actress Amber Heard, 30, filed for divorce from Depp, 57, in May this year, citing multiple instances of domestic abuse.
In a sworn declaration filed while obtaining a restraining order against the actor, Heard said Depp repeatedly hit her and threw a mobile phone at her head, leaving bruises on her eye and cheek, during an argument at their Los Angeles apartment in May.
The couple officially settled their divorce case in August, but not before further details of Depp's behaviour leaked to the media, including a video published by TMZ showing the actor yelling and cursing at Heard.
The backlash over Warner Bros' casting decision comes down to the way it awkwardly overlooks the serious allegations against Depp, or at worse, even casually accepts his violent history, one commenter noted.
"So that whole domestic abuse thing really isn't going to have an effect on Johnny Depp's career, is it? Don't know why I'm surprised," tweeted journalist Caroline Siede, who was forced to delete the post after she became the target of sexist abuse from Depp's supporters.
The first instalment of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them opens in cinemas on November 17.
Depp reportedly appears in a short cameo in the film, setting up a larger role in next year's sequel - unless the studio is swayed by the public response.
