Actor Johnny Depp says he is resigning from the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise after losing a UK libel case against a tabloid that called him a “wife beater”.

Depp wrote on Instagram that he had been asked to resign from the popular films set in the wizarding world created by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

He played the evil wizard Grindelwald in the first instalments of the franchise.

The actor had sued News Group Newspapers because of a 2018 story which called him a “wife beater”.

A London High Court concluded in its recent ruling that Depp had assaulted his ex-wife.

Depp criticised the judgement in his Instagram post: “The surreal judgement of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal.”

Warner Bros said Depp “will depart the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date. Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast”.

-AAP