JK Rowling 'delighted' with Depp in Harry Potter prequel

J.K. Rowling attends the 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' World Premiere in New York,. Picture: AFP PHOTO / ANGELA WEISSANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images

The author said Johnny, who faced domestic abuse accusations during his divorce battle with Amber Heard earlier this year, had done “incredible things” with his portrayal of dark wizard Grindelwald.

Johnny, who vehemently denied the abuse allegations, appears briefly in Fantastic Beasts but is set for a more prominent role in the planned sequel.

“I’m delighted,” JK said of Johnny’s casting at the film’s world premiere in New York.

Rowling was full of praise for Depp's performance. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire

“He’s done incredible things with that character.”

Director David Yates said Johnny – whose partner Amber filed for divorce in May – filmed his sequence in Fantastic Beasts in January and he urged Harry Potter fans to trust the film-makers about his casting.

“You have to trust us and see what he does in this movie,” David said.

“You won’t see very much in this movie because he appears in it very fleetingly. He appears much more in the second movie.

Rowling was full of praise for Depp's performance. Picture: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire

“What you have to remember about Johnny is that extraordinary talent and that talent never goes away. Hollywood is such a fickle place. People go up and go down.

“He’s a huge Potter fan. He loves the world. He was beyond excited about working on this material. In fact he didn’t even want to see a script, he just said ‘I’m in’.”

It has been reported that a sequel to Fantastic Beasts may feature a gay relationship between Johnny’s character Grindelwald and a young Professor Dumbledore from the original Harry Potter stories.

Addressing the speculation, JK said: “I can’t tell you everything I’d like to say because obviously it’s a five-part story and there’s lots to unpack in that relationship.

“I will say you’ll see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man because he wasn’t always the sage. He was always very clever.

“We’ll see him at what I think was the formative period of his life.

“As far as his sexuality is concerned, watch this space.”

JK, who is currently working on a new novel, also revealed she hoped to bring the West End play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child to Broadway.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is released in UK cinemas on November 18.