Johnny Depp will reportedly receive an 8-figure payday for 'Fantastic Beasts 3' despite resigning from the film

• Johnny Depp will reportedly still receive full compensation for "Fantastic Beasts 3" after stepping down from the role.
• The actor was asked to resign from the "Harry Potter" prequel franchise after losing a libel case against the publishers of UK newspaper The Sun for describing him as a "wife beater" in connection to his ex-wife Amber Heard.
• Sources said Depp would be required to "be fully compensated" if the role is recast per his "pay or play" contract, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• Depp has reportedly shot one scene in the movie since it began filming September 20.

Johnny Depp may be out of the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise, but he will still receive full compensation for the next installment, a new report says.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, per the actor's "pay-or-play" contract, Depp will receive an 8-figure payday for the film despite shooting only one scene since filming started on September 20 in the UK.

Depp's contract would require the actor to "be fully compensated whether or not the film is made and even if it is recast," sources said.

There was reportedly no morality clause in his contract.

A Warner Bros. representative did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the matter.

Depp was asked to step down from "Fantastic Beasts 3" days after losing a libel case against the publishers of the UK newspaper, The Sun, over a 2018 article, which described him as a "wife beater."

The allegations are in connection with Depp's ex, Amber Heard. The two wed in 2015 in a private ceremony after meeting on the set of "The Rum Diary." Heard filed for divorce a year later, accusing Depp of domestic abuse.

Depp has repeatedly denied the allegations and said he plans to appeal the ruling.

In a typed letter, shared to Instagram, last week, Depp announced that he'd be stepping back from the franchise. "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 wrote.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson confirmed the news to Insider, saying in a statement Friday: "We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date."

"'Fantastic Beasts 3' is currently in production," the statement continued, "and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast."

Depp's screentime in "Fantastic Beasts 3" reportedly would have been similar to costars Jude Law, who plays a young Albus Dumbledore, and Eddie Redmayne, who plays protagonist Newt Scamander. Still, Depp's salary exceeded both his costars due to his previous box-office track record, sources said.

Two of his five "Pirates of the Caribbean" films grossed over $1 billion worldwide, while "At World's End," the franchise's third installment released in 2007, topped $960 million at the box office. In recent years, Depp's star power hasn't guaranteed box-office success, however. In fact, Disney is moving forward with more "Pirates" movies, but without Depp.

"Fantastic Beasts 3" is currently scheduled for a theatrical release on July 15, 2022.