Fans and supporters of Johnny Depp have all been following the defamation trial, in which it has revealed that Amber Heard had been abusive in her marriage to Depp. Months before the trial, social media had already been in outrage following the release of explicit photos of Depp. Shortly afterward, a petition was created to remove Heard from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Over two million signatures later, people finally get to know what will happen.
Film journalist Grace Randolph sent out a tweet saying that the actress will only have less than ten minutes of screen time in the upcoming movie. Although it appears as if film producers did this out of response to the recent events, it is unclear when and how this decision was made. As of this publication, Heard has not commented on the decision, and has been focussing on the trial.
Several people on Twitter responded to the tweet with shock and sadness, with one user tweeting, "That's too bad, she made a great Mera." Others have also said they should re-shoot the film with a new actress portraying the character, and how she appears to look in the trial. Others have also mentioned that actress Emilia Clarke would've made a better Mera.
Media Outlets Picked Up Hints That This Would Happen Eventually
Once the news got out, TMZ couldn't help but notice how Heard hasn't been promoting the film, or how Jason Momoa hasn't tagged her promotions for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Coincidentally enough, other people involved in the movie have not tagged her either. When a film is either in production, wrapped, or getting ready to be released, stars create social media posts to raise the anticipation for films. This also helps make sure people go to the box office, buy tickets, and not make the movie a flop.
Heard has only posted one photo on her Instagram since filming began, which was of her showing off her hair. Captioning the post "Red-dy," the actress is shown to be at what appears in a film lot. The post was made in Oct. 2021, four months after filming began. However, she has not said anything else since. Filming for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom officially wrapped on Jan 12, 2022.
The actress's picture only shows two comments by Instagram users who appear to be friends of hers. One gave heart emojis, while another said, "There she is." Due to the amount of publicity she's received, Heard has made it so that only certain people can comment on her posts.
What's Next For 'Aquaman' Is Unclear
Although only two films have been confirmed, it won't surprise people if a third film were to be announced. The first movie already made more than one billion dollars at the box office in 2018. Some of its characters have also appeared in other Marvel films, which is typical for popular superheroes. Because Heard's screen time is reduced, it's unknown how to movie will play out, especially since Mera was an essential character in the first Aquaman.
Several people have also said they will not see the film due to Heard's participation, with many commenting with the hashtag, "#cancelamberheard." However, these comments were made before the news of her involvement was released. As of right now, the production company that refused to replace or remove her from the film has not spoken about the matter.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released in theaters in Mar. 2023, and will be available on HBO Max 45 days after its release. The film initially planned a Dec. 2022 release, but was pushed back due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the workload of visual effects vendors.
