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Johnny Depp Sued For Alleged Assault On City of Lies Set
Johnny Depp is being sued for an alleged assault on the set of his upcoming film, City of Lies. City of Lies is based on Randall Sullivan’s popular book LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal and stars Depp as the detective Russell Poole working to solve the murders of famous rap artists Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.
While Depp continues to star in major films, he does so while taking on several lawsuits. Depp is also facing legal action from his ex-managers TMG, ex-lawyer Jacob Bloom, and ex-bodyguards Eugene Arreola and Miguel Sanchez, all of whom are suing the actor in different, individual lawsuits. This is all overshadowed by his high-profile divorce from Amber Heard, who filed a restraining order against Depp through the Los Angeles Superior Court after reporting instances of physical and verbal abuse. And now, a new lawsuit has been added to the table.
Deadline reports that City of Lies' location manager Gregg “Rock” Brooks is suing Depp after the actor allegedly struck the Brooks multiple times in the rib cage on April 13, 2017. The alleged assault came after Brooks reportedly told Depp that on-location filming for the movie would have to run late that night. Depp is also accused of “[screaming] and [berating Brooks] in front of a set full of people until Depp’s own bodyguards physically removed Depp from the scene.” The situation grew even worse for Brooks, who claims through his lawsuit that when he showed up for work on the Monday after the incident, producers wanted the location manager to sign a document saying he would not sue the production for the incident with Depp. When Brooks refused, he says that he was then fired from the project.
This lawsuit only increases the amount of public pressure and scrutiny on Johnny Depp. He’s been a controversial name as of late following his divorce from Amber Heard, to the point where many Harry Potter fans have been calling for Depp's Grindelwald to be recast in this year's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Yet his situation with Heard hasn’t threatened the security of his role in the slightest, with the sequel's director David Yates defending Depp's casting. Yates even suggested that the negative attention surrounding the actor is the result of empty accusations. J.K. Rowling herself came out in support of Depp’s casting, claiming that she is “genuinely happy” to see the actor inhabit the role of Grindelwald.
This instance of alleged assault with Brooks on set of City of Lies appears serious, but Depp may come out of the situation safely. Previous controversies involving Depp have often caused a flurry of upset and shocking headlines, but they’ve never caused any lasting ramifications on the actor, who continues to land leading roles in blockbuster films. It remains to be seen if this alleged assault - this time on the set of a film - will be the proverbial last straw for his reputation in Hollywood and actually impact his career negatively.
