Johnny Depp will retain the titular role in The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, as well as Warner Bros., director David Yates and producer David Heyman, put up a united front on Thursday defending their choice not to recast the 54-year-old actor's part in the follow-up to 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, despite fan backlash over controversy related to Depp's contentious divorce with Amber Heard.