As Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard continues, details about her work on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are allegedly getting revealed. A new one is coming from Matthew Belloni at Puck, who writes that Heard was almost not brought back to reprise her role as Meera in the Aquaman sequel due to “chemistry concerns” with her costar Jason Momoa, who plays the title role.
The information reportedly comes from a deposition with DC Films president Walter Hamada. It is assumed that it will be introduced into the trial.
It’s impossible to talk about this without giving a little background on that. Heard divorced Depp in 2016 and obtained a temporary restraining order against him. In 2018, she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post where she recounted her experience with violence and domestic abuse but did not mention Depp’s name. Depp sued the British tabloid The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater.” He lost that case, with the judge finding that there was “overwhelming evidence” that Depp assaulted Heard many times during their marriage. He also lost the appeal. That brings us to his defamation case against Heard; he is seeking $50 million in damages.
DC Films considered not bringing Amber Heard back for Aquaman 2 because of “chemistry concerns” with Jason Momoa
It’s hard to know in what capacity Hamada’s statement might come into the trial, although I guess we’ll find out; the whole thing is being broadcast on Court TV.
Obviously, Heard was brought back for Aquaman 2, although reportedly wasn’t able to negotiate a fee increase. Her team claims that is because of the situation with Depp. They also claim Heard has been unable to book lucrative roles since then for the same reason. On Depp’s end, chatter over the scandal led to him getting replaced as the villain Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise by Mads Mikkelsen.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is due out in theaters on March 17, 2023.
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h/t ComicBook