Despite what you may have heard or read, Amber Heard is still in Aquaman 2, aka Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Tuesday, the site Just Jared published a post saying that the actress, who has been in the public eye of late due to her defamation case with ex-husband Johnny Depp, had been “cut” from the film and would be “recast.” Soon after publishing, though, an update was added that said “Sources close to the Aquaman production have shot us an update, saying, ‘Amber has not been completely cut from the film. She still has a small role.’” Concurrently, the Insider reached out to Heard’s camp which called the story “false” and added “The rumour mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane.” Gizmodo reached out to Warner Bros. about the situation but it didn’t respond to comment.
Still, you may be thinking, there’s some grey area in those statements. Warner Bros. isn’t commenting. Just Jared stands by its story. What’s the real deal? Well, look back a month when DC Films chief Walter Hamada testified in the Depp-Heard defamation case. Under oath, Hamada said Heard was still in the film and that while the studio did consider recasting her, it had nothing to do with her troubles with Depp. Instead, it was due to Heard’s lack of chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa. Eventually though, the studio decided against it and kept her in the movie.
At the same time, Heard herself said she believed her role had been significantly cut back, and while Hamada denied it, he explained the sequel was never about that relationship anyway. Basically, she’s in the movie, but it’s not a huge role, which lines up with what’s being reported today. You can read more about Hamada and Heard’s testimony over at the Hollywood Reporter.
It’s also important to note that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is done filming. On January 12, director James Wan posted on Instagram that he had finished shooting the sequel and since then, one can assume editing and visual effects have been in full swing. Could, hypothetically, Wan and his team decide to go back and reshoot Mera scenes with a new actress? Sure, anything is possible. But that’s not some small task and if it was to happen, it has not happened yet. And, according to reports, it’s not currently in the plans.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set for release March 17, 2023.
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