Credit: Inside the MagicIn a strange turn of events, and over a year since the highly publicized defamation trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, an Amazon Prime TV show has picked a side in the controversial Johnny Depp and Amber Heard debate.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, both Hollywood actors, first met on the set of The Rum Diary (2011) before marrying in 2015. Depp, who had previously been in relationships with the likes of Winona Ryder, Kate Moss, and Vanessa Paradis (whom he shares children, Lily-Rose Depp and Jack Depp III with), tied the knot with Heard in a civil ceremony in February 2015.
Just a year later, Heard would file for divorce and a restraining order against her husband following claims of verbal and physical abuse during their relationship. What followed was a media storm debating the ins and outs of the domestic abuse allegations, eventually leading to two high-profile court cases.
The libel trial in London’s High Court saw Depp go to battle against British publication The Sun and its parent company News Group Newspapers LTD, after the newspaper published a headline stating the actor was a “wife-beater.” Depp lost the case, with Justice Andrew Nicol finding the evidence of domestic abuse “substantially true” following testimonies from a number of individuals, including Depp and Heard themselves.
The Edward Scissorhands (1990) star was removed from the Warner Bros. Fantastic Beasts franchise; his role as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was recast with Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal). Weeks later, the court denied Depp’s appeal request, leaving him shut out of Hollywood, including his beloved role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, for good.
Prior to the libel case in the United Kingdom, Depp had sued Heard for defamation in a huge $50 million suit after the Aquaman (2018) actress wrote an Op-Ed in The Washington Post entitled, “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” Heard countersued Depp for $100 million.
After months of pre-trial proceedings, the pair went to court, supported by their respective teams: Depp, Camille Vasquez and Benjamin Chew; Heard, Elaine Bredehoft and Benjamin Rottenborn. After six weeks, the jury — presided over by Judge Penney Azcarate — found the pair had defamed each other. Heard on three counts and Depp on one count. The court awarded Depp compensatory damages of $10 million and Heard $2 million. Depp was also awarded $5 million in punitive damages, with Judge Azcarate reducing the amount to $350,000 per Virginia state law.
Related: New Information Comes To Light Over Amber Heard’s DC Movie, the Franchise’s Last Ever
As for support for the pair, the near-constant trend of the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp hashtag proved that despite Heard’s allegations, fans were rallying behind the actor. Something Heard actually discussed post-trial. That said, even though the jury found Heard had defamed Depp, Hollywood did not come knocking. Since the trial ended, Depp has starred in the international film Jeanne du Barry (2023) as King Louis XV and been on tour with his band, the Hollywood Vampires.
Discourse on the trial outcome has simmered, although still rears its head when new conversations of Depp’s career — especially at The Walt Disney Company — and Heard’s role in Warner Bros.’s other franchise, the DC Extended Universe come to light.
Now, though, it seems one Amazon Prime TV franchise has picked a side in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard debate.
**Spoilers for Gen V, Episode Four, “The Whole Truth”**
Amazon Prime’s The Boys first debuted in 2019 with its eight-episode first season. Starring an ensemble cast, including Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, and Jensen Ackles, The Boys is a satirical superhero drama that has since gone on to gain two more seasons, with a fourth also on the way. The Boys has also spawned the new spinoff series, Gen V, which began airing on the streaming service in September 2023.
Gen V‘s premise sees young adult superheroes take part in challenges at the Godolkin University School, and only four episodes in, has received largely positive reactions from critics and viewers. And it is in Gen V, that a line has been drawn regarding the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard controversy.
Related: Johnny Depp’s Return in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ Will Cost Disney Tens of Millions
As Uproxx collates, “In this week’s episode, Tek Knight [Derek Wilson] descends upon Godolkin University as part of his true-crime show. He’s hunting for a public-facing answer for why Golden Boy [Patrick Schwarzenegger] killed himself, and Dean Shetty [Shelley Conn] wonders aloud, “You’re going to blame an innocent student for Luke’s hysteria?” Tek Knight’s answer: “I’m gonna Johnny Depp someone so hard they’re gonna want to crawl into a hole and die.”
Multiple online users noticed this siding with Amber Heard and celebrated the show’s decision to support the In the Fire (2023) actress. But, others claimed it was not in support of Heard but in support of Depp. The use of Johnny Depp in this context has opened up discussions over its intended meaning. And perhaps, that was always the ploy — to get audiences engaging in discourse about the Gen V TV show.
The conversation comes as it was revealed that Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow was set to be involved with a Pirates of the Caribbean prequel, The Spirit of the Sea. The Spirit of the Sea concept art was recently revealed as part of The Walt Disney Company and Secret Cinema’s partnership, leaving fans to wonder what this prequel story would have told.
During the defamation trial, Depp confirmed he would not return to Disney even if they offered him $300 million. That sentiment has seemingly now changed.
What do you think of this exchange in Amazon Prime TV’s new show? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!