Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have been facing off in court. And since the proceedings in the courtroom are available to watch on TV, plenty of folks have been weighing in on the situation– both in person and online. And as a result of the trial, the petition for Amber Heard to be removed from Aquaman 2 is about to pass another massive number.
The online petition to see Amber Heard removed from the Aquaman franchise seemingly came as a direct result of Johnny Depp losing his Fantastic Beasts gig as Grindelwald. Depp was asked to step down after losing his libel case against the U.K. publication The Sun. Some fans out there think that Warner Bros. should do the same move with Heard, and the Change.Org petition is now nearing 4 million signatures.
That’s a massive sum of people who seemingly want to see Amber Heard fired from her ongoing role as Mera in the DC Extended Universe. While the petition was originally in response to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’s recasting of Johnny Depp, the high profile defamation trial has definitely gotten more eyes (and signatures) to the online campaign. And those who can’t weigh in on the jury can put their support on Depp by signing the campaign to see his ex-wife removed from the Aquaman franchise.
Regardless of how popular this petition is, it’s unclear if Warner Bros. will ever actually take the advice of those who signed. Amber Heard has reprised her role as Mera twice recently, despite the online chatter about her involvement in the DCEU. First she suited up for Snyder Cut reshoots, which allowed for the new Knightmare sequence to come together. Then there’s her upcoming role in the Aquaman sequel.
And while this petition existed prior to the production of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Amber Heard is still expected to appear in James Wan’s mysterious sequel. While it remains to be seen how big of a role Mera will have, she was one of the most important characters in the previous movie. So it would take some clever writing to minimize Heard’s role in the upcoming DC blockbuster.
While Warner Bros. hasn’t fired Amber Heard, earlier reports indicated that the ongoing legal battle with Johnny Depp did give the studio pause. But in the end she was included in the action for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and is once again expected to appear opposite Jason Momoa. This would mark those two actors’ third collaboration including their brief scenes in Justice League.
It should be fascinating to see how the legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard ultimately shakes out. Depending on who wins the defamation case in Virginia, perhaps that’ll affect her ongoing role as Mera. Only time will tell, but Warner Bros. seemed to value the courts’ opinion across the pond.
Johnny Depp has recently started booking new movie roles, while Aquaman 2 hits theaters on March 17th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
