The legal battle between exes Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is the never-ending story and it has already been alleged to affect their blockbuster work projects. The latest updates have spilled over into the fandom, with a “Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2” petition earning 34,000 signatures and counting on Change.org.
Meanwhile, Aquaman star Amber Heard — who has her own supporters and detractors, just like Johnny Depp — recently requested her ex-husband submit to a mental health assessment as part of their current defamation case.
Strap in, this is going to get bumpy!
As you may know, Johnny Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard after she wrote a Washington Post op-ed about being a victim of domestic abuse. Depp was not named in the piece, but he alleges the inferences were strong enough to defame him.
Johnny Depp even alleged in the suit that he lost the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films because of that op-ed. (Fans previously filed a separate petition for Disney to give him that job back. Disney never officially fired him or made any statements on the future of Depp in the franchise, although recent reboot plans have left fans assuming the franchise is changing course).
Amber Heard’s role in Aquaman came up as part of a completely different lawsuit Depp filed against his former attorney. That lawsuit was recently settled but one unexpected note involved the allegation that Depp personally asked former Warner Bros. chairman Kevin Tsujihara to remove Heard from her role as Mera in DC’s Aquaman, and also block her from getting other WB projects. Since that lawsuit was settled, no one had to testify and no evidence came out.
Sounds like some Johnny Depp fans are still hoping Amber Heard can be removed from future appearances as Mera. That Change.org petition alleges Amber Heard is the one who has been exposed as a domestic abuser and she should be removed from Aquaman 2.
Angry Game of Thrones fans really made their voices heard this summer when a petition to rewrite the final season went viral and earned more than 1 million signatures. No one actually expected HBO to go back and rewrite Game of Thrones, it was just a way for like-minded fans to gather and make their points. But it does sound like these Johnny Depp supporters are hoping WB fires Amber Heard.
There are at least two sides to every story, though, and there were also Amber Heard supporters who wanted Johnny Depp fired from future Fantastic Beasts movies.
As far as we know, Amber Heard will still play Mera in Aquaman 2 — just like Johnny Depp is still playing Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. However, just like Depp still faces backlash and support for his casting in Warner Bros.’s Fantastic Beasts franchise, Heard still faces both backlash and support as Mera.