In Aquaman 2 Amber Heard Mera may no longer be a part, Aquaman, and the Lost Kingdom. The news has been doing rounds on social media for some time now. However, The Depp v. Heard trial added fuel to the fire.
Depp v. Heard Trial: A social media spectacle
Aquaman 2 Amber Heard, For those unaware, Amber Heard was recently involved in a very public lawsuit against her ex-husband Johnny Depp. About six years ago, Heard turned to the media and claimed that she was a victim of domestic abuse throughout her marriage with Johnny. This led to Johnny receiving hate across social media and allegedly losing multiple movie contracts.
Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against the actress. The infamous 6-week-long trial was broadcasted across various news networks. Millions of people across the globe stuck to their screens as the trial live streamed. It was also very widely discussed on social media, with everyone seeming to give their 2 cents on the case.
The trial reached its conclusion recently, with Johnny winning $15 million in punitive damages against Heard. Amber received $2 million in punitive damages against her ex-husband.
The actress claimed that the defamation case had led to her losing screentime in the Aquaman sequel throughout the trial. Walter Hamada, president of DC films, rebutted her claims and stated that the team had long been discussing her future in the DC franchise and that it had nothing to do with the trial.
Mera’s future in the Aquaman franchise
In the first movie, Mera had more screen time than any of the other supporting characters. Her role was set to have a certain future in the DCEU, and the underwater franchise as Arthur Curry took the throne of Atlantis. Thus, her absence could be unsettling for fans of the movie.
According to Hamada, Warner Bros. had reached this decision due to the lack of chemistry between Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Mera. The production team had already cut Amber out of different scenes and brought her screen time down to 10 mins. This is a huge downfall compared to the initial script, in which she was initially set to be a vital part of the final battle. As per the new script, the actress would have a few scenes towards the beginning and a few towards the end now.
Aquaman 2 Amber Heard – Amber completely removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
Aquaman 2 Amber Heard, As per the latest reports, a closed-door meeting was held amongst the higher-ups of Warner Bros. to discuss the actress’s future in the movie. Following the meeting, rumors started doing rounds that Amber’s character was entirely deleted from the film. KC Walsh, a reliable insider, has stated that Mera’s character may die during childbirth at the start of the sequel.
A viral twitter poll and petition demanding that Heard be removed from the Aquaman franchise received over 4.5 million signatures. Both Warner Bros. and Hamada have stated that the poll had nothing to do with the decision to remove Mera’s character. Nevertheless, fans find it hard to believe that the actress’s current image did not influence the decision.
There is still close to a year till the sequel hits the big screen, giving the team ample time to reshoot certain scenes and change part of the storyline. Whether the actress has lost her role in the sequel or not will only be confirmed once the next test screening takes place. According to the movie’s schedule, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on 17th March 2023.
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