Amber Heard Being Completely Removed From Aquaman 2?
Is that it for Mera?
It seems inevitable that, at some point, Warner Bros. is going to have to publicly address the Amber Heard situation. Over the weekend, new rumors began to swirl that the studio is ready to toss Heard out like a set of stained bed covers. The Direct, and many other outlets, are reporting that the actress will be completely cut from the long-awaited sequel, which opens March 17, 2023. These media outlets quote trusted Hollywood insider KC Walsh, who cites his source inside Warners that the decision has been made to remove Amber Heard completely from Aquaman 2. The decision comes in response to Heard losing her defamation case against ex-husband Johnny Depp.
KC Walsh makes an interesting note, that if Warner Bros. has indeed removed Amber Heard from Aquaman 2, it will be confirmed soon with another test screening. In principle, test screenings are kept secret, with viewers signing confidentiality agreements. In the internet age, however, word from these screenings often leak, and the negative publicity surrounding the film likely means we will know when another screening is held, and if indeed changes were made.
On June 1, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia agreed on all three of Johnny Depp’s claims of defamation, awarding him $15 million in damages. More importantly, the jury found that Depp’s claim that he was the one abused by Heard to be true. Her 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post insinuated that Depp had abused her for years, causing him to lose his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts movie franchises. Despite Depp’s claims that his ex-wife, in fact, was the abuser, Amber Heard remained a cast member of Aquaman 2, reprising her role as Mera, the love interest for Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry/Aquaman. In the wake of the verdict, the Washington Post has now added an editor’s note to Heard’s op-ed, providing more context.
Fans have speculated for months how Warner Bros. and DC could remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2 without major reshoots or changes to the storyline. We already know that Heard’s character of Mera will give birth to Aquaman’s son in the movie, a major plot point which cannot be edited out. During the trial, Heard testified that her role in the film had been significantly cut in response to the allegations Depp had made against her. The speculation now, in the wake of the trial verdict, is that Heard will die during childbirth, explaining her absence from the film. If so, it is speculated that the death will happen off-screen, allowing the storyline to remain intact.
Some supporters of Amber Heard will argue that the verdict, which was a bit of a split decision, should serve as some sort of vindication. They argue that since Amber Heard won one of the claims against her, she shouldn’t be fired from Aquaman 2. However, detractors will point out that the claim Heard won was against one of Depp’s attorneys, who made several statements about her motivations to the press. However, Heard still has her supporters, including her Aquaman co-star Dolph Lundgren, who said she was great to work with on the set of both films. He did not address the allegations of abuse mentioned in the suit. In addition, Amy Schumer posted a quote about women on Instagram immediately after the verdict, seemingly supporting Heard without naming her. “Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke,” the Gloria Steinem quote read. “She will need her sisterhood.” However, Schumer deleted the post days later.
The public tide against Heard has not subsided just because the trial has ended. An online petition at Change.org titled “Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2” has now passed 4.5 million signatures. On May 1, in the midst of trial testimony, 2.1 million signatures had been collected. When the verdict was announced June 1, it was hovering at about 4 million signatures. Public opinion, it seems, only continues to shift against Heard and her efforts to save her film career.
