As most of the world knows, Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard has been underway for several weeks. Depp had sued Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post. Although she didn’t mention Depp by name, the actor claimed that the fallout from the article caused extensive financial losses and alleged that Heard had actually been the abuser. The op-ed led to Amber Heard experiencing a fair bit of backlash herself, and during her testimony today, the actress alleged that her role in the upcoming Aquaman 2 has been reduced quite a bit as a result.
Amber Heard played Mera in Justice League (both in the theatrical and Zack Snyder’s version) and reprised the role for Aquaman. After petitions requesting that Amber Heard be removed from Aquaman 2 grew in popularity, the actress quickly confirmed that she would be returning, but it seems that her role isn’t what it once was. When asked if she had participated in the Aquaman sequel, Amber Heard said that she did, but that she had to fight “really hard to stay in the movie,” adding that Warner Bros. “didn’t want to include me in the film.“
I was given a script. Then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character, without giving spoilers away, two characters fighting with one another. They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch.
Amber Heard confirmed that her role in Aquaman 2 is a “very pared-down version” of what she originally signed on for. The Aquaman sequel, titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, and more. As for how much screentime Amber Heard will have in Aquaman 2, that remains to be seen, but it sounds like it’s a far cry from the starring role she enjoyed in the first movie.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will premiere on March 17, 2023.