Depp has denied all allegations and branded Amber Heard's new court filing as "new lies" and a "hoax". Photo / Getty Images
Depp has denied all allegations and branded Amber Heard's new court filing as "new lies" and a "hoax". Photo / Getty Images
Warner Bros. is reportedly "freaking out" over its Harry Potter franchise's connection to Johnny Depp after Amber Heard filed new court documents further detailing alleged abuse by the star.
Depp is slated to star in Fantastic Beasts 3, the next instalment of JK Rowling's Harry Potter spin-off series.
Filming was due to start in the coming months, but has been delayed until next year as executives at the studio are "wondering how to deal with the backlash of the Depp matter on the Harry Potter franchise," a source told the New York Post.
"High-level female execs at the studio are extremely worried about working with Depp and the message it sends to the public."
Depp has denied all allegations and branded Amber Heard's new court filing as "new lies" and a "hoax".
The 55-year-old actor is currently pursuing legal action against his ex-wife - whom he was married to for just over a year before filing for divorce in May 2016 - in a $50 million defamation lawsuit after she previously accused him of domestic abuse.
In a response to the lawsuit earlier this week, Amber spoke of the alleged abuse she suffered in detail, including incidents in which she claims Johnny "strangled" her, "punched" her, and "threw cans and unopened glass bottles" at her, often whilst being under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
But on Friday, the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star called her new claims a "hoax", and slammed her for having a "prior arrest and incarceration" for domestic abuse, after she was arrested in 2009 for an incident with her then-girlfriend Tasya van Ree, though all charges against her were dropped when Taysa said the situation was "misinterpreted".
In court documents obtained by People magazine, Johnny's attorney said: "A hoax confronted with the reality of evidence requires new lies to sustain itself. Yesterday's filing, made by a woman with a prior arrest and incarceration for domestic abuse, presented Amber Heard's new lies."
Amber, 32, detailed a number of alleged incidents in her filing, and claimed Johnny was often too "drunk" to remember what had happened.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard attend The 58th GRAMMY Awards 2016. Photo / Getty Images
She said: "About a year into our relationship, I began to witness Johnny abusing drugs and alcohol ... On some occasions, when Johnny simultaneously used both illegal narcotics and prescription medications I have had to get him medical attention. Whenever he was using, I worried for both of us. He would become a totally different person, often delusional and violent. We called that version of Johnny, 'the Monster'.
"Johnny often would not remember his delusional and violent conduct after he came out of his drunk or medicated states. ... Because I loved Johnny, I had believed his multiple promises that he could and would get better. I was wrong."
Amber highlighted one alleged instance in which she claims Johnny became violent on a plane after he had been drinking, because of a romantic scene she'd shot in a movie with James Franco.
She continued: "On the flight, Johnny ordered the flight attendants to give him an oxygen tank, and drank heavily. Johnny's handlers told me that he was upset that I was filming a movie with a romantic scene with James Franco the day before. Soon, Johnny began to throw objects at me. Instead of reacting to his behavior, I simply moved seats. That didn't stop him. He provocatively pushed a chair at me as I walked by, yelled at me, and taunted me by yelling out the name 'James Franco.'
"At some point, I stood up, and Johnny kicked me in the back, causing me to fall over. Johnny threw his boot at me while I was on the ground. Johnny continued to scream obscenities until he went into the plane bathroom and passed out locked in the bathroom for the remainder of the flight."
Heard also slammed those who have called her a "liar" for her allegations, saying she now wants to "advocate an end to domestic violence".
She said in her court filing, which was obtained by The Post: "Many people called me a liar (without ever hearing my story). I was dropped from a global fashion brand's upcoming campaign. I lost a part for a movie in which I had already been cast. People I have never met or spoken to threatened me with violence. I received so many death threats I had to change my phone number on a near-weekly basis.
"People accused me of having abused Johnny. That simply is not true. I never attacked Johnny other than in self-defence (and in defence of my little sister). I have never physically abused anyone. I know what that does to people.
"Instead, I have attempted to promote good in the world and to advocate an end to domestic violence. I have sought to use my public persona to speak out on an issue that was extremely meaningful to me and millions of other women and men every year. I have spoken out about violence in public, but I have always avoided specifically referencing Johnny, or recounting his violence against me, not only because I wanted to move past that phase of my life but also because I was constrained by the terms of a strict confidentiality agreement that Johnny had insisted upon as part of our divorce settlement."
