Getty; Shutterstock Johnny Depp said in a new interview withThe Telegraphthat he felt Warner Bros. "wanted me to retire" when he was asked to step down from his villain role in theFantastic Beastsmovies in 2020 The actor said his time portraying the character Gellert Grindelwald "literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie," after he lost a libel case against the U.K,'sThe Sunin November 2020 over a 2018 story that described him as a "wife-beater" Mads Mikkelsen took over Depp's role as Grindelwald in 2022'sThe Secrets of Dumbledore; theHarry Potterspinoff series has not produced any movies since Johnny Deppis addressing the chain of events that led toMads Mikkelsentaking over his villain role in theHarry Potterspinoff seriesFantastic Beasts. In Depp's interview withThe Telegraph, published on Saturday, July 5 surrounding his latest directorial effort,Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, the actor said that his time portraying the character Gellert Grindelwald in theFantastic Beastsmovies "literally stopped in a millisecond, like, while I was doing the movie," in the fall of 2020 when he stepped down from the role. "They said we'd like you to resign. But what was really in my head was they wanted me to retire," Depp told the outlet. Back in November 2020, Depp announced that he wasresigning from portraying Grindelwaldin theFantastic Beastsmovies days after he lost hislibel caseagainstThe Sunnewspaper over its 2018 story describing him as a "wife-beater" during his marriage toAmber Heard. "I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald inFantastic Beastsand I have respected and agreed to that request," Depp said at the time. When asked for his response to being pushed out of the role, Depp toldThe Telegraph, "F--- you. There's far too many of me to kill. If you think you can hurt me more than I've already been hurt you're gravely mistaken." PEOPLE is out to Warner Bros. for comment. Depp made his debut as Grindelwald at the very end of 2016'sFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a spinoff of the mainHarry Potterfranchise that starred Eddie Redmayne as the eccentric magical zoologist Newt Scamander. The series, which released three movies between 2016 and 2022, followed Newt's run-ins with the evil wizard Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore's (Jude Law) efforts to confront the villain across the world in the 1920s and 1930s. Depp reprised the part in 2018'sThe Crimes of Grindelwald, and after he resigned, Danish actor Mikkelsen, 59, stepped in to play the part in 2022'sThe Secrets of Dumbledore. Depp, who subsequently remained in the news through 2022 for hisdefamation trialagainst ex-wife Heard, 39, has only acted sparingly since then: the 2023 French filmJeanne du Barryis his only live-action role since 2020. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage FurtherFantastic Beastssequels do not appear likely. The series' director David Yates described the series as "just parked" during a 2023 interview, and Law, 52, said he believes those films are "certainly on hold" now that HBO isdeveloping a remake of the originalHarry Potterbooks.Depp's new movieModi: Three Days on the Wings of Madnessreleases in the U.K. July 11. The movie does not yet have a U.S. theatrical release date. Read the original article onPeople