Amber Heard’s appearance in the trailer for “Aquaman 2” caused a stir in Hollywood during the CinemaCon 2023 event. The new movie, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” will feature Jason Momoa and Heard reprising their roles as heroes Arthur and Mera, respectively.
Despite the fact that the trailer has yet to be released to the general public, the studio verified to the media on Wednesday that Heard is indeed in it.
Heard’s Mera briefly appears during a battle scene in the preview, according to Deadline. This comes years after supporters of Johnny Depp launched an online campaign to remove Heard from the sequel, a petition that has received over 4.6 million signatures.
Last spring, the “domestic abuser” petition got a major boost when Depp and Heard traded allegations of domestic violence and abuse at their high-profile defamation trial in Virginia. The jury ended up awarding Depp more than $10 million, while Heard received $2 million.
After losing the case, Heard expressed her disappointment that the overwhelming amount of evidence was insufficient to stand up against the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of her ex-husband.
Heard testified during the trial that she nearly lost her role in “Aquaman” due to the media firestorm surrounding her legal battles with Depp.
The then-president of Warner Bros. Pictures claimed in a video deposition, however, that Heard was almost recast due to a lack of onscreen “chemistry” between her and Momoa rather than because of the Depp controversy.
Former studio head Walter Hamada stated that although they had great chemistry, it took a lot of effort to get there throughout post-production.
He also contradicted Heard’s assertion that her role in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” had been scaled down due to the Depp situation, claiming that Mera was never intended to be the sequel’s central character and that her and Momoa’s chemistry was insufficient.
Despite the fact that both Heard and Depp received a mix of hate and support on social media throughout the trial, animosity toward the former was more common. James Wan directs “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which is set to open in theaters on December 20th.
