Despite What You May Have Heard, Amber Heard is Returning for ‘Aquaman 2’

There have been vague rumors swirling that Amber Heard could end up being replaced in Aquaman 2 due to her messy, tabloid-fodder divorce from actor Johnny Depp. But it’s time to put those rumors to bed because Heard herself has just confirmed she’ll be slipping back into her green bodysuit to play Mera in the James Wan-directed sequel.

Boy oh boy, just wading into this story is already giving me heartburn, but it’s my duty to bring you all the hot movie news, and so I shall. As you may or may not know, there’s a very long, unsettling story about the disastrous marriage between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Heard alleged Depp abused her, Depp countered that Heard abused him. It went to court. It got very messy. A settlement was reached in 2016 and the couple issued a statement saying “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain.” In the end, the duo divorced and Depp paid Heard a settlement of $7 million, which Heard immediately donated to charity.

That might have been the end of the story. Instead, things only continued to grow acrimonious, with many of Depp’s defenders claiming he was the wronged party in the relationship. It all boiled over this month when Depp lost a legal battle against British tabloid The Sun. The paper called Depp a “wife-beater” in their pages, and Depp had hoped to triumph over these claims, legally. Instead, a judge ruled that the allegations were “substantially true.” As a result, Depp was forced out of the Fantastic Beasts franchise (although he’s still going to be paid his full salary for the next film).

As this story dragged on over the years, a steady stream of resentment built up against Heard, with many of Depp’s fans claiming that she was the real guilty party in the case and that she only took Depp to court for money (although these claims overlook the fact that she donated her entire settlement to charity). The negativity directed towards Heard lead to speculation that Warner Bros. – which also produces Fantastic Beasts – would be dropping the actress from the superhero sequel Aquaman 2.

Not so, says Heard. Speaking with EW, the actress – who will next be seen in the CBS All Access adaptation of The Stand – said: “I’m super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation that Aquaman has acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for Aquaman and Mera that it means we’ll be coming back. I’m so excited to film that.”

Now, is there a chance WB changes their minds and swaps out Heard before filming begins? Sure, I guess! But for the time being, it sounds like she’s still involved. Heard added: “Paid rumors and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality. Only the fans actually made Aquaman and Aquaman 2 happen. I’m excited to get started next year.”

Aquaman 2 hopes to start filming in 2021.

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