Johnny Depp suffered a major blow when he was defeated in the British High Court last year. His libel case against The Sun newspaper was intended to refute accusations that he was a drug-addled domestic abuser and expose ex-wife Amber Heard as a fantasist. But it backfired spectacularly, as not only was Depp’s dirty laundry broadcast across global media, but the judge found Heard’s testimony convincing and ruled that it wasn’t libellous to describe him as a “wife-beater.”
Consequences were swift. He was kicked off Fantastic Beasts 3, has reportedly lost out on high-profile upcoming jobs, and Hollywood insiders say he’s currently blacklisted. Now, a new report from leaker Daniel Richtman claims that Depp has put his movie career on hold for the moment as he licks his wounds and prepares for his legal rematch with Heard in Virginia.
This is a $50 million defamation lawsuit he lodged after the actress wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post about being a victim of abuse. Her article didn’t specifically name Depp, but he claims that her strong insinuation cost him several big roles. She’s countersuing, though, while there’ve been tussles over dates and COVID-19 gumming up the court system certainly hasn’t helped matters.
As such, the trial, originally scheduled to begin around now, has been pushed back to summer 2022. If Depp scores a conclusive win, then his reputation could be redeemed and the still very popular star should start seeing renewed interest from studios. After all, Hollywood loves a good comeback. But if he loses again, it has the potential to be the end for him and he may wind up having to take parts in smaller independent movies (if he chooses to continue working at all).
There’s also a chance that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard could settle out of court, though by now I think too much is on the line for either one to back down. I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.