Johnny Depp has been ousted from Fantastic Beasts 3 as villain dark wizard Gellert Grindelward as a result of and in connection with the actor losing a libel case against his ex-wife. Both these decisions happened in quick succession parallel to lots of other events taking place in the United States last week, and The Hollywood Reporter has filed a report digging deeper into Warner Bros. decision to sever ties with the iconic actor.

　　One head-turning revelation that's come out as the dust is still settling on the decision is that the studio will reportedly be paying a full eight-figure salary to Depp for the work he had done so far since production started on September 20 in London--a total of one scene. What's more, many publications have already been speculating and even recommending actors who should step in to take on the role. It will likely be a while before that or any related decisions come out--unnamed sources at Warner Bros. told The Hollywood Reporter that they "want due process to take its course" before major decisions involving the film are made.

　　JK Rowling, the author of the Fantastic Beasts series who is no stranger to controversy herself, reportedly "did not push back on Warners' move to cut the actor from the franchise." Depp was expected in the upcoming film to have an equal share of screen time with Jude Law (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) and Eddie Redmayne (The Trial of the Chicago 7). It is hardly a silver lining for Depp, but an eight-figure salary for one scene is likely an unusual record set for any actor--and at the very least, an unusual bit of trivia.

　　On November 6, Depp responded to the recent developments on Instagram, thanking fans for their support and loyalty while also clarifying that when asked to resign from the movie, he "respected and agreed to that request." It's still unclear how this change will affect production.

　　David Wolinsky on Google+