Johnny Depp to Scarlett Johansson: Hollywood stars who dropped out of films following huge controversies

Johnny Depp's removal from the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise has sent shockwaves all through Hollywood. The news of his exit from the franchise came shortly after he lost his libel case against a British tabloid that published an article in 2018 alleging he was a "wife-beater."

Fans have since taken to social media to slam production house - Warner Bros, for sacking the actor and allowing his ex-wife, Amber Heard to continue playing her role in 'Aquaman 2'. Enraged fans called out the "double standards" of the production company and demanded justice for Depp.

As it turns out, Depp is not the only star to drop out of a film, following huge controversies. Scroll below to see other stars who also faced the same fate, some even for no fault of their own.

Pic: Posters

Hollywood star Johnny Depp shocked fans when he announced that he was asked to resign from his role as Grindelwald in the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise. The actor confirmed that he will no longer portray the dark wizard in the popular film franchise. This news came in shortly after he lost his libel case against a tabloid that dubbed him a 'wife-beater'.

"I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in 'Fantastic Beasts' and I have respected and agreed to that request," he said in his post.

In a surprising turn of events, enraged fans united to seek justice for the actor and started petitions to get Amber Heard removed from 'Aquaman 2' that is also backed by the same production house.

Pic: Movie Posters

Director James Gunn was axed out of the Marvel superhero film 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' after his decade-old distasteful social media posts came to light. The director was fired from his film, a move that not only created an uproar among fans but even had members of the cast ready to quit the series if the director was not re-hired. Gunn was eventually called back and will be directing the third part of the 'GOTG' franchise.

Pic: Instagram; Poster

Actor Kevin Spacey was not just asked to leave director Riddley Scott's 'All the Money in the World', but his role was even erased out of the film following an allegation that he made sexual advances towards a minor. He was replaced by Hollywood veteran Christopher Plummer and extensive reshoots were conducted to get the film out in time for its scheduled release date.

Pic: Movie Still, Poster

Scarlett Johansson may be among Hollywood's A-list stars, but when she was cast as the lead for the film 'Rub and Tug', it gave way to a lot of controversies. All it took was one week for the actress to "respectfully" bow out of the role of a Trans man, amid backlash from trans groups and activists.

Pic: Instagram

'Hellboy' creator Mike Mignola raised quite a few eyebrows when he announced that the franchise would be rebooted without Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and that Ed Skrein was roped in as the resurrected marine Benjamin Daimio. Controversy erupted over the casting, citing that Daimio was typically depicted as Japanese and that Skrein's casting would be another instance of whitewashing a Marvel movie. Thinking of the people rather than his paycheck, Ed decided to step down from the role.

Pic: Instagram; Poster

Christian Bale has been the face of many iconic characters, but one he chose to step down from, was that of Steve Jobs. The 'Dark Knight' actor sent fans into a meltdown when he left the Steve Jobs biopic. His exit became a big topic of speculation, but contrary to reports, the actor made the hard decision after apparently receiving a phone call from Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs, who shared her discomfort over him or any other actor playing the part. The show, however, went on with Michael Fasbender taking on the part.

Pic: Instagram; Poster