Although Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s unpleasant legal dispute has yet to be resolved, Warner Bros. has plenty of reasons to terminate and remove the actress from “Aquaman 2.”
Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment established another milestone in 2018 when their first “Aquaman” picture grossed more than $1.14 billion at the box office.
While the sequel was set to be released in December 2022, many “Aquaman” and “Johnny Depp” fans began various petitions outlining all the reasons why the entertainment titans should alter the woman who plays Mera.
The 33-year-old actress is no longer a stranger to domestic abuse allegations.
Earlier this year, the 56-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” star fueled another court battle by making a surprising revelation about his marriage with Heard in a leaked recording acquired by the Daily Mail.
During their brief affair, Depp allegedly suffered harassment from her aggressive ex-wife, including throwing pots and pans at him, sullying his career with an op-ed piece, and severing his finger, to mention a few incidents.
Heard allegedly faked her bruises so she could blame everything on the actor.
A week after the first 30-minute-long tape went viral, another shocking 30-minute-long recording was released.
In his attempt to establish he was the one who was physically mistreated, Heard threatened the actor and dared him to “see how many people believe” him.
Because of these two compelling pieces of evidence, the “Aquaman” actress has gotten nothing but negative feedback.
Aside from the Depp case, she was detained by Port of Seattle Police on September 14, 2009, when her ex-girlfriend Tasya Van Ree was charged with criminal assault in the fourth degree/domestic violence.
According to a thorough formal affidavit presented by Depp to the circuit court of Fairfax County, Virginia, Van Ree phoned the police after Heard pulled her hand and assaulted her during an argument at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state.
The declaration furthered:
“Ms. Heard lied about this domestic violence incident under oath, saying ‘it was a trumped-up charge and it was dropped immediately for being such.'”
Aside from her legal issues, her previous followers are now reluctant to support her, which may have a negative impact on the film’s future sales.
Many individuals have agreed with Depp and have started a petition on change.org to seek justice for him. The petition seeks to have Heard removed from the planned sequel to the superhero film “Aquaman.”
Jeanne Larson, the person who launched the “Remove Amber Heard From Aquaman 2” initiative, has already gathered 409,000 signatures, leaving them only a few thousand away from reaching the half-million mark.
It is implausible that their petition has not yet reached management because they addressed it to DC Warner Bros. Senior Vice President of Publicity and Communications, Courtney Simmons, and DC Entertainment.
In fact, there are allegations that the film studio is actively investigating all conceivable alternatives for Heard, including outright eliminating her or decreasing her screen time.
Given that “Aquaman” has a younger audience, the film just has to choose someone who can set a positive example for everyone. After all, while sales are important, they cannot set a terrible example by not punishing major crimes and poor behaviour.
While nothing has been confirmed, Warner Bros. and the film’s producers cannot just proceed with Heard. Keeping Heard in the picture would imply that they are on side with her, which is a risk they would not and should not take.
Furthermore, because Amber Heard’s role was only featured in the first “Aquaman” film, they still had time to alter the actress. With that said, she doesn’t have a good hold on the character yet, and the organization hasn’t invested heavily in him.
Whatever they do, there will undoubtedly be critiqued. However, Warner Bros. must move quickly and make a choice since it will undoubtedly affect “Aquaman 2: The Lost Kingdom” in some manner.
CELEBEAT 