In the wake of the extremely messy and high profile break-up and subsequent legal battles between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, a petition was launched calling for Heard to be dropped from her role as Mera in Warner Bros. and DC Films’ Aquaman franchise.
However, despite close to 2 million signatures, the petition went unanswered, with Heard reprising her role for a cameo in Zack Snyder’s Justice League before linking up with co-star Jason Momoa and director James Wan for next year’s sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which recently kicked off production here in the UK.
Now, speaking to Deadline to promote the release of the latest DCEU entry The Suicide Squad, producer Peter Safran has addressed the calls for Heard’s firing and revealed that it was never an option that was considered.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure,” said Safran. “You gotta do what’s best for the movie. We felt that if it’s James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was. 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. You have to do what’s right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it.”
Heard herself has previously responded to the petition, expressing her excitement over her return to the ocean in The Lost Kingdom and stating that: “Paid rumors and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality. Only the fans actually made Aquaman and Aquaman 2 happen.”
Heard and Depp will most likely be dominating the headlines once again in the lead up to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as they are embroiled in a defamation case in the U.S. which is due to go to trial in April 2022. This follows Depp’s failed libel action in the UK against The Sun newspaper which had branded him a “wifebeater” and ultimately led to his dismissal from several projects including the Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts series.
What are your thoughts on Heard returning for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? Is it the right call? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
