Johnny Depp filmed one scene before he was asked to depart. According to various media reports, because of his "pay or play" contract, he received his full $16 million salary.
Steve Kloves, original screenwriter of all the Harry Potter movies except for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), makes his return to the writer's seat after ten years. He was brought on to help J.K. Rowling.
Was pushed back after the negative critical reception of the previous film and to give J.K. Rowling more time to fine-tune the script. Then, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the film back even further.
Scenes were meant to be shot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was changed to an alternative location (Bhutan) because of the pandemic.
The Bhutan scene still has a short clip from Rio, however.
Gellert Grindelwald has now been played by four actors: Johnny Depp, Jamie Campbell Bower, Mads Mikkelsen, and Michael Byrne. Including Colin Farrell, this takes the total to five.