Turns out, the Twitterverse can birth a movie into existence (looking at you, Snyder Cut) but not pressure producers into firing cast members (and you, Amber Heard) who have been accused of domestic abuse.
Peter Safran, who is a producer on the Aquaman sequel shared with Deadline that Amber Heard was never going to be fired from the film. His statement suggests that the team is well-aware of the backlash against the actress, but they're going to do "what's right for the film".
Peter Safran On Amber Heard
The producer was asked whether the social media campaigns for Amber Heard's removal from the DC film had any influence on their casting decisions. Safran made it clear that the campaigns made no difference to them, and they were never going to react to "pure fan pressure".
"You gotta do what's best for the movie," he added.
"One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesn't mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes," the producer continued, saying "You have to do what's right for the film, and that's really where we landed on it."
DC fans are furious at Safran's comments, and shared their reactions to Twitter.
"So basically, domestic abuse is never okay unless it's a woman abusing their male significant other. Loving that double standard y'all," a user wrote.
Another added "And people say women in America have it harder."
"lmao, they literally say that they stand with the abuser?" a fan inquired.
Fans continued to campaign for Amber Heard to be replaced, and while some asked for the actress to be fired and recast, others wanted her character Mera to be replaced by King Shark.
"YES HE SHOULD BE AQUAMAN'S LOVE INTEREST," another wrote in agreement.
Fans have asked Warner Bros. to do better, especially after Johnny Depp was fired from the Fantastic Beasts franchise for the same reasons. "Right for the film? You could've recast Mera with a chinchilla, and no one would've batted an eyelash. WB, do better."
"Hiring a good actress would have been what's good for the film," said another fan.
DC fans have refused to watch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom if Amber Heard is in it, with over 2 million signatures on multiple petitions. Fans too have continued to troll her on social media.
