Amber Heard was in danger of losing her part in the DCEU film “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” since at least two of her parts might have been cut. She will reprise her role as Mera in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” the next DCEU movie, but her part will play a much smaller role. Her already restricted part in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” might have been completely eliminated, as suggested in a recent article.
Details about Amber Heard’s part in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” have been revealed by Variety. The article sheds insight on Amber Heard’s involvement in the film by delving into the facts gleaned from notes taken during the widely reported Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial.
After the release of “Aquaman” in 2018, it was proposed that Heard not take on the role again because of the alleged lack of chemistry between her and Jason Momoa, according to Variety. Elon Musk, Amber Heard’s ex-boyfriend, instructed his legal team to write a stern letter to Warner Bros. to assure her reinstatement so the studio never had the chance to fire her.
According to the source, at least two scenes starring Amber Heard as Mera from “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” were cut. One of those scenes saw Mera engaging in combat with Black Manta, and the other involved her having a romantic moment with Jason Momoa’s Aquaman.
Why did Amber Heard get her scenes cut from the movie?
According to the source, the removal of scenes starring Amber Heard from the final DCEU film was due to the tensions with both the director, James Wan, and the movie’s star, Jason Momoa. This paints a disturbing picture of the DCEU franchise.
The claim that Jason Momoa was drunk on the “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” set is based on “unfiltered notes” from Amber Heard’s therapy sessions with Dr. Dawn Hughes that were made public in the report.
According to the defamation court documents involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, Amber experienced challenging circumstances as a result of what is said to be Jason Momoa’s behavior.
She even commented how Momoa appeared to be dressed like Johnny Depp while filming. A DC spokesman, however, refuted this claim and said Jason Momoa continually behaved professionally while filming “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”
The director of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” James Wan, allegedly yelled at Amber Heard and made her feel like he was punishing her, according to the notes from therapy sessions.
An official from DC refuted these allegations, pointing out that James Wan is known for treating his cast and crew with the highest respect and fostering a good, collaborative environment on site, which was consistent with the “Aquaman” films.
Given Amber Heard’s open criticism of Jason Momoa and James Wan, as well as Warner’s early skepticism regarding her participation in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” it seems clear why at least two scenes with her Mera character were cut from the movie.
So, what’s the future?
The “Aquaman” sequel, however, had a lot of potential, especially in light of the remarkable success of the first picture starring the eponymous character, which brought in $1.15 billion worldwide and became the highest-grossing DC movie ever. However, insiders claim that problems with the sequel went beyond the Amber Heard scandal.
The film’s test screenings garnered ratings in the 60s, which prompted a substantial re-edit in the summer of 2022. The movie still received scores in the 60s in the tests that followed these improvements, which led to more changes.
Retakes continued up to May of this year, which was also the month of the Writers Guild of America strike. An on-set source refutes the rumor that “Aquaman 2” is having issues and emphasizes that the production kept to time, stayed within budget, and only needed a week of reshoots.
