Ever since his divorce and his legal drama with Amber Heard started, Johnny Depp has been met with an overwhelming amount of support from fans and other celebrities alike. He will continue to need that support because it's become apparent that Depp has been canceled. He's even admitted it himself. Warner Bros. fired him from Fantastic Beasts, and it doesn't look like he'll ever be Captain Jack Sparrow again. But that hasn't stopped fans from boycotting the Depp-less projects.
While some fans have given up hope of a Depp resurgence, there might still be some hope yet. A couple of interesting developments in Depp's life have recently occurred that could suggest he isn't as canceled as we feared. He's had a couple of wins in court, but that isn't all.
The Court's Turning Sides
In the courts, Depp has recently succeeded in two areas. Firstly, a New York judge ruled in favor of Depp's request to determine whether Heard actually donated the $7 million she was awarded in their divorce settlement to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
According to court documents obtained by People, Depp has been trying to get both organizations to reveal whether they received any funds from Heard since she pledged to donate in 2017. Now that the judge ruled in favor of Depp, the organizations have to reveal the information.
Heard's attorney also released a transcript to People that stated that Heard still planned to donate the money, half and half, to each organization. Currently, "it is undetermined what those payment schedules will be." Still, Heard's attorney said the actress has already made "the first payment toward the pledges" specifically, "more than a million" to each.
"We produced the documents from the ACLU on how much she has. She has always said she fully intends to continue to give the full $7 million, but she can't do it yet. She will do it when she can. But she has given a significant amount to both," Heard's attorney continued. They claim Heard's done "nothing dishonest."
Secondly, Depp has won the right to sue Heard for libel even though London courts found his "wide-beater" case against The Sun not libelous. A Virginia judge granted Depp the chance to prove he's not a "wife-beater" because Heard was not a party in that initial case. Now, Depp can carry on with his two-year-old lawsuit against Heard for her comments in an op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post, despite Heard trying to overturn it.
Despite Feeling Like Hollywood's Canceled Him, Depp Is Set To Get An Award
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Depp said that he feels Hollywood's started to boycott him. "Hollywood's boycott of, erm, me," he said, explaining why his new film Minamata is not being released in the U.S.
"One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?" he said. "But, you know, I'm moving towards where I need to go to make all that . . .To bring things to light." He'll get to bring things to light in his new (or old) lawsuit. Depp has had to have known something's been up with his relationship with Hollywood for a while now, though.
On the other hand, there's hope on this front as well because he is being honored at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival with "the event's highest award," CinemaBlend writes. The Spanish film festival announced that Depp will receive the Donostia Award, which is given out annually and sometimes to multiple people. Other actors who've received the highest award include Al Pacino, Julie Andrews, Ian McKellen, Denzel Washington, and Viggo Mortensen.
In the festival's official statement announcing Depp as this year's recipient, they wrote that Depp is "one of contemporary cinema’s most talented and versatile actors."
Although Depp is set to receive this award, a group of Spanish female filmmakers has spoken out against the San Sebastian Festival for giving it to him. NME writes, "the president of Spain’s Association of Female Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media, Cristina Andreu, said she was 'very surprised' by the decision made by the festival."
"This speaks very badly of the festival and its leadership and transmits a terrible message to the public: ‘It doesn’t matter if you are an abuser as long as you are a good actor,'" Andreu told the Associated Press. She continued to say that the association was currently "studying next steps" in their conversation with the festival.
Despite the protests from the Spanish female filmmakers and Heard sympathizers, it seems as if Depp's come into some luck, regardless of what you think about him and his case. Who knows what will come out of it all. All we can say is that the Depp lovers must be rejoicing.