The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial continues to expose fresh details about the two stars and how their careers have been damaged by the incident. Amber Heard reportedly claimed that Warner Bros. sought to minimize her part in Aquaman 2 during her deposition. According to reports, Warner Bros. attempted to remove her, but Aquaman actor Jason Momoa and director James Wan pushed to retain her in it. Here are the specifics:
What Amber Heard claimed about Aquaman 2:
Due to her legal struggles with Depp, Heard revealed last week that Warner Bros. didn’t want to include her in the upcoming Aquaman movie, but she fought to stay onboard. “I fought to keep my job, and the biggest movie opportunity I had to date [with] Justice League with the option to [star in] Aquaman. I had to fight really hard to stay in Justice League because that was the time of the divorce,” she said on the stand. However, DC Films CEO Walter Hamada corrected this, saying that Heard was on the verge of losing her major role as Mera owing to worries about her compatibility with Momoa.
“At the end of the day when you watch the movie, it looks like they have great chemistry,” he explained. “But I just know that through the course of postproduction, it took a lot of effort to get there. Sometimes you just put characters together on the screen and they work. It’s like what makes a movie star a movie star. You know it when you see it. The chemistry wasn’t there. This one was more difficult because of the lack of chemistry between the two”.
Related: “They Didn’t Want to Include Me”: Amber Heard Says She Fought Hard to Be In Aquaman 2
Did Warner Bros remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2?
Katherine Arnold, an entertainment adviser, revealed during the high-profile Johnny Depp libel lawsuit that Heard was almost cut from the Aquaman sequel owing to the unfavorable press surrounding the case. “In February 2021, there were conversations that Amber’s, I’m going to be technical with you, her option for employment was not going to be exercised. So, they may not have hired her again,” Arnold said. “Her management team fought very hard, and they ultimately ended up hiring her, but not only because of what her management did, but also because star Jason Momoa and director James Wan committed to her”.
During the trial, Momoa and Wan remained mostly mute on the situation and how it would affect the final cut of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. However, there’s no doubt that whether Heard wins or loses this case, Warner Bros. and Aquaman 2 have and will further bear the brunt of it.
Related: Aquaman 2 Director James Wan Unfollows Amber Heard on Instagram
Social Media reactions to this incident:
When the news of James Wan and Jason Momoa defending Amber Heard broke out, social media went into a frenzy. It started trending on Twitter, with people accusing Warner Bros, of having double standards. One of the users wrote, “Aquaman 2 has started filming and dear God amber heard is in it. The double standards in Hollywood are fucking ridiculous. Amber heard still has a career while Johnny Depp lost everything. F*ck that bitch”. Another Twitter user said, “She falsely accused Depp when she was the abuser. No double standards – domestic abuse is not ok. DC Entertainment: Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2 – Sign the Petition!”.
