Johnny Depp fans organize 24-hour ‘Depp Movie Nights’ in wave of support following his libel loss to tabloid

An army of Johnny Depp fans has started organizing 24-hour movie marathons in a "show of support and unity" for the troubled actor.

Fans of the Hollywood hunk, who call themselves 'Deppheads', are participating in monthly global viewing parties -- dubbed ‘Depp Movie Nights‘ -- in which they pick a Johnny Depp movie to watch together and have related discussions on social media. Meanwhile, fans have also been trying to get certain hashtags trending on Twitter, such as #WeSupportJohnnyDepp and #WeStandWithJohnnyDepp.

The Depp Movie Nights website clarifies that the purpose of the events is not only to celebrate the actor's illustrious career but to also foster a sense of community "in these dark times of the COVID-19 crisis." Meanwhile, the group insists it is also attempting to push back against "particular media outlets' intent on spin" in light of the actor's recent legal struggles.

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Depp was asked in November 2020 to give up his role as Grindelwald in the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise, after a court ruled in favor of domestic abuse claims made by his former wife Amber Heard. Depp lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper for branding him a "wifebeater," after a judge ruled that the details of the alleged abuse were "substantially true." 

The Sun did not waste any time in publishing an article within minutes of the verdict being announced titled, "Johnny Depp WAS a wife-beater who attacked his ex-wife Amber Heard, judge rules as The Sun wins trial." It later updated the headline to read, "Johnny Depp verdict: Actor beat ex-wife Amber Heard 12 TIMES, judge rules as The Sun wins libel case trial."

In the piece, The Sun celebrated its victory over the actor. "In a stunning victory for press freedom, London’s High Court ruled we were RIGHT to brand the Pirates of the Caribbean actor a wife-beater for his brutal attacks on his ex-wife," it read. "Mr Justice Nicol threw out Depp’s defamation case after finding our story - which had always been staunchly backed by Ms. Heard - was accurate. Depp’s loss leaves his reputation in tatters, with his glittering silver screen career facing ruin."

Nonetheless, the 'Donnie Brasco' star denied all accusations and has since lodged an appeal against the ruling.

While many of Depp's former colleagues have since disavowed the actor, a sizeable portion of his fan base appears to continue to stand by him. Aside from trends like Depp Movie Nights, a number of other fan organizations have directly defended Depp against the claims and appeared to discredit Heard's account. 

Meanwhile, Depp Movie Nights organizers have also launched a series of petitions calling for the Hollywood star to be reinstated in his roles in both the 'Fantastic Beasts' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequels, according to Unilad. 

Depp's fans inundated social media with threads of their favorite movies, celebrating his career and even advocating for "justice" for the disgraced star. "Gosh, I love #DeppMovieNight It's time to binge-watch! got to go I'm late! I'm late! for a very important date with an oh so charming Hatter! ♡ #AliceInWonderland #JusticeForJohnnyDepp #Deppruary #WeStandWithJohnnyDepp #JohnnyDeppIsInnocent," one fan tweeted.

"My nephews arrived early so large Pop Corns, sodas & Edward Scissorhands on my screen...suddenly the sofa seems small  #DeppMovieNight #Deppruary #JusticeForJohnnyDepp #WeStandWithJohnnyDepp #Deppathon #JohnnyDeppIsAMasterpiece," another added.

"Johnny Depp has moved up the IMDb STARmeter by 30 places this week. This is good news as it means people are clicking his page and rating his films. My apologies for lacking more detail which requires an IMDbPro account. Johnny Depp is NOT canceled. #JusticeForJohnnyDepp," a third chimed in.