UPDATE: The Blast reached out to Amber Heard for comment, with a spokesperson stating, “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane.” The original story is below.
A new report indicated that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently looking to recast Amber Heard’s role as Mera. Just Jared reported an insider told the outlet, “Warner Bros. decided to recast Amber Heard’s role after screentesting the movie. They are going to be doing reshoots with Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman.” That’s all the information to go along with the report, but there have constantly been rumblings from fans and scoopers that Warner Bros. would look to replace Heard after her public court case with Johnny Depp. The report also stated the role of Mera would be played by this new actress in any future DC Films projects.
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Following the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, “#boycottaquaman2” started trending on social media as loyal supporters of Depp urged Warner Bros. to find another actor to play Mera in the DC sequel. WB producer Peter Safran issued a statement indicating the studio is backing Amber Heard in Aquaman 2, despite major fan pressure to have her cut from the film. Earlier this month, Johnny Depp won his court case against Amber Heard after he sued Heard in Virginia for $50 million, stating he was being defamed after Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post where she described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard countersued for $100 million while also claiming she was being defamed.
Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada testified during the court case and discussed how the Aquaman franchise fit into it. “They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada testified regarding actors Jason Momoa and Amber Heard. “The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry and it’s sort of movie magic and editorial — the ability to put performances with the magic of a great score and how you put the pieces together, you can fabricate that chemistry.”
“At the end of the day when you watch the movie, it looks like they have great chemistry. But I just know that through the course of postproduction, it took a lot of effort to get there,” he continued. “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 lack of chemistry between the two.”
Amber Heard released a statement shortly after losing her case against Johnny Depp, which you can read below:
“The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband,” Heard wrote. “I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.”
“I believe Johnny’s attorneys succeeded in getting the jury to overlook the key issue of Freedom of Speech and ignore evidence that was so conclusive that we won in the UK,” she continued. “I’m sad I lost this case. But I am sadder still that I seem to have lost a right I thought I had as an American —to speak freely and openly.”
