Aquaman 2 producer Peter Safran says fan pressure to cut Amber Heard from the film had no effect. Heard had played Mera in the DC Extended Universe since her first appearance in 2017’s Justice League. She’s reprised her role in James Wan’s Aquaman (2018) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max. Heard is expected to return as the Xebellian princess in the upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom alongside Jason Momoa—which has already become production and is slated for a December 2022 release.
Amid Heard’s overwhelmingly public battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp, the latter was forced to resign from Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts 3 after losing a libel case against The Sun, which called Depp a “wife-beater.” Both Heard and Depp have accused the other of being physically and verbally abusive during their relationship. Depp’s departure from the Fantastic Beasts franchise led many to believe WB should also sever ties with Heard. Leading up to production, rumors persisted that Heard was fired as well as a fan petition with over a million signatures demanding her removal from Aquaman 2.
During a recent appearance on Deadline’s Hero Nation to promote The Suicide Squad, Aquaman 2 producer Safran confirmed Heard will be returning as Mera in the sequel. He elaborated by saying that the minds behind the DCEU don’t intend to “accede to” the pressure of fans. Read what he said below:
“I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. 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.”
The millions of fans who signed petitions against Heard believe her to be the aggressor in her relationship with Depp as #JusticeforJohnny gained traction online. Addressing rumors of her firing late last year, Heard said that social media campaigns to get her fired “have no basis in reality.” Reality or otherwise, there’s no denying the influence social media campaigns and public opinion have on decision making throughout the entertainment industry. The studio asked Depp to resign not because of anything criminal or concrete but out of fear of bad press it would bring Fantastic Beasts 3. WB could not break their contract with Depp and still had to pay him roughly $10 million. It seems likely the same sort of contractual issues revolve around Heard—actors have certainly been fired for less than viral petitions.
No criminal or civil judgments have been ruled against Heard. The court of public opinion’s ramblings are indeed conjecture. However, her association with Aquaman 2 has and will most likely continue to generate bad press. Regarding “doing what’s right for the film,” WB/DC Films doesn’t have the greatest track record for creative integrity in their approach to the DCEU. Suffice to say, removing Heard from the Aquaman franchise would’ve directly contradicted the decision with Depp. While it may have made sense to cut ties with both Depp and Heard from the jump, it’s too late for that now, which is good new for fans of Heard. It’s worth noting that Safran has only worked with DC on the Aquaman franchise, Shazam!, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)—all projects that are (hopefully) part of the DCEU’s bright, or dark, future.
Source: Deadline
