Ultimately, J.K. Rowling is "genuinely happy" to have Johnny Depp in the "Fantastic Beasts" family as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

Some Harry Potter fans were not happy to see Depp in the role. He had a cameo in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," and now has a lead role in the sequel, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." Many -- but not all -- of the critical fans are upset specifically because of the domestic abuse allegations made by Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard. Some fans just don't think Depp looks right for the role (that weird platinum hair!), or is a good fit overall.

But J.K. Rowling wrote the scripts, and the Harry Potter universe is her domain.

Fans wondered where Rowling stood on the whole issue, and she finally broke her silence with a statement/opinion piece ... that immediately crashed her website from traffic overload:


If that link gives you a service unavailable message, well, you're not alone. Here's the point she's making:

So there you go. She wants to say more about the legal issues, it seems, but can't. And she's standing by Johnny Depp for the role. (Sorry, Christopher Plummer.)

The movie is coming out next year, and then fans can judge Depp's merit for themselves. Or they can just skip the movie in protest.

"The Crimes of Grindelwald" will be released in theaters November 16th, 2018.

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