Actress Amber Heard debunks rumors that her role in Aquaman 2 will be recast. Heard played Xebellian princess Mera in the first Aquaman film. She starred alongside Jason Momoa, who portrayed the titular superhero. Aquaman was met with generally positive reviews, and a sequel is currently set for a December 2022 release date.
Heard has recently been at the center of a heated domestic violence dispute with her ex-husband Johnny Depp. Heard filed for divorce from the actor and claims that Depp was verbally and physically abusive during their time together. Depp, on the other hand, says that it was Heard who was abusive, not him. Depp recently sued U.K. tabloid publication The Sun for calling him a "wife-beater." After losing the court case, Depp was asked to step away from Fantastic Beasts 3 by Warner Bros. This has outraged many Depp fans, who have called for Heard to be fired from Aquaman 2. To that end, an online petition demanding Heard be let go has amassed over 1 million signatures.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Heard debunks rumors that she will be replaced in Aquaman 2. Heard states that the rumors and online campaigns against her have no basis. She states that she's excited to get started on the film and further explore Aquaman and Mera's relationship. You can check out Heard's full statement on returning to Aquaman 2 below:
"I'm super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation that Aquaman has acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for Aquaman and Mera that it means we'll be coming back. I'm so excited to film 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. I'm excited to get started next year."
While Heard will seemingly return to Aquaman 2, many fans aren't happy about this decision. In fact, there has been a lot of speculation about who could potentially replace Heard as Mera. One particularly popular choice is Emilia Clarke, who is known for playing Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones. Aside from Clarke's terrific acting skills, she and Momoa actually worked together on the hit HBO series, which would make her a near-perfect fit to play Mera. However, now that Heard has spoken up about her part in Aquaman 2, it appears that any casting shake-up rumors hold little substance.
The central storyline of Aquaman 2 is still unclear, although director James Wan has stated that the sequel will borrow several elements from horror films. Wan cites the terrifying nature of the Trench sequence in the first film, so it will be cool to see how he further incorporates this into Aquaman 2. Yet while fans won't see the final product for quite a while, one thing's for sure—nothing is more nightmarish than the current PR debacle surrounding Warner Bros., Heard, and Aquaman 2.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
