Credit: Warner Bros.In the wake of her highly-publicized legal battle with her former husband and Pirates of the Caribbean star, Johnny Depp, Mera actress Amber Heard is speaking out on her return to DC Studios ahead of the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).
It seems everyone is waiting on the edge of their seats for the upcoming Aquaman sequel—and not just because they want to see Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry back in action. Instead, many are curious to see how DC Studios will handle the explosive aftermath of Amber Heard’s feud with Johnny Depp after their defamation case caught the attention of media outlets worldwide.
Johnny Depp, the beloved face of childhood classics such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Edward Scissorhands (1990), is essentially Disney royalty, meaning fans rallied behind the actor after he accused his ex-wife of destroying his career, culminating in last year’s Depp v. Heard defamation trial.
Heard accused Depp of verbally and physically assaulting her after their divorce in 2016, a little over a year after their marriage. Because of this, the Jack Sparrow actor was virtually blacklisted from Hollywood and was dropped from massive contracts, including Pirates of the Caribbean 6, forcing him to lose out on a rumored $22.5 million deal.
Depp ultimately won his defamation trial against Heard and was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and punitive damages of $5 million. After receiving nonstop hate online and even death threats, Heard relocated to Spain, where she’s generally been radio silent—until recently.
With all of this in mind, one question hung heavy over the entire Depp v. Heard case: what would become of Heard’s role in DC’s Aquaman franchise?
In Aquaman (2018), Heard starred alongside Jason Momoa as Mera, an Atlantean warrior and not-so-subtle love interest for Arthur Curry. Its sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had already wrapped filming by the time the trial began, plunging the movie into uncertainty.
Almost immediately, rumors of Heard’s character being recast surfaced online, with social media users even “fan-casting” actresses like Momoa’s Game of Thrones co-star Emilia Clarke and even MCU star Scarlett Johansson. Additionally, the Lost Kingdom was slapped with several delays amid Warner Bros. box office struggles, causing many to speculate that Heard’s role was being edited down or erased from the film altogether.
However, the embattled actress was confirmed to return to DC to play Mera in the upcoming Aquaman sequel in April, where she was seen in early footage shown to attendees of this year’s CinemaCon. Still, it’s unclear how big a role Heard’s Mera will have in the sequel, considering how much of a touchy subject the controversial actress is.
But recently, Heard finally broke her silence on returning to DC in the Lost Kingdom, where she also spoke on the “pressure” for big-budget superhero movies to succeed amid the studio’s recent string of box office flops with Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam (2022).
Speaking with Deadline, Heard shared new details about her next film, as well as her hopes for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as DC prepares for its new leadership under Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) director James Gunn. The actress addressed how there are “millions and millions of dollars at stake” when it comes to big-scale movies like Aquaman and that “compromises” must be made to achieve one cohesive vision:
Oh, of course. These are very different kinds of projects representing two very different ends of the spectrum in my industry. There’s a ton of pressure on these big franchise movies, with millions and millions of dollars at stake, and compromises are part of trying to make it the most successful thing it can be. Then on the other end of the spectrum is a small indie film like ‘In The Fire,’ a work of art and work of love, with nowhere near the same resources, and so there are compromises there. The best luck you can have as an actor is to be able to balance both.
As for her role as Mera in the highly-anticipated Aquaman sequel, Heard confessed that she’s “honored” to be part of the franchise, despite the sheer amount of backlash she’s facing from DC fans worldwide:
‘Aquaman,’ that franchise and the machinery behind it, I’m very honored, honored to be a part of that. And then there are these small passion projects like ‘In The Fire,’ where I’m proud to have gotten to know the filmmaker and the cast, and we got dirty together, to breathe life into this story. There’s something cool about that, and I think success is an actor who is able to have both those things.
It’ll be interesting to see if Heard’s involvement in the Lost Kingdom will hurt its chances of succeeding in the wake of recent DCU flops, as the public’s view of the actress could certainly impact ticket sales. However, the movie might just do that on its own—early viewers have dubbed the Aquaman sequel “unwatchable,” with some people even walking out of test screenings.
This isn’t exact surprising, considering the chaos that has surrounded the upcoming superhero flick in recent months. Heard’s latest remarks come in light of reports that “[DC has] completely changed the plot” of the sequel movie, with its own director, James Wan, admitting he’s been making “mak[ing] adjustments all along the way” as the DC environment changes.
It remains to be seen if Amber Heard’s Mera will have a shortened role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but one thing’s for sure: DC needs all the help they can get.
What do you think of Amber Heard returning to DC? Will this be her last appearance in the Aquaman franchise? Chime off in the comments below.