Amber Heard’s fate in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” has been sealed. The actress has secured her role in the upcoming movie as confirmed in the first trailer for the film that was shared at CinemaCon 2023.
During Warner Bros. Pictures presentation at the event in Las Vegas, the studio teased the “Aquaman” sequel by debuting the first-ever trailer for the movie. In the trailer, Heard’s Mera makes a brief appearance in a battle scene, confirming her return for “Lost Kingdom”.
Heard’s return for the sequel was a hot topic of contention following the end of her 2022 defamation trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp. The jury found that she had acted with malice with her 2018 op-ed published in The Washington Post.
Following the trial outcome, Heard expressed her disappointed in a statement. “I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband. I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women,” she said.
The 37-year-old has since stayed under the radar, while Depp’s fans launched an online petition to remove the actress from “Aquaman 2”. The petition has received over 4.6 million signatures, but it apparently didn’t manage to convince WB to remove Heard from the movie.
Last June, a rep for Heard also responded to rumors that the actress has been cut from the sequel. “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one – inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane,” the spokesperson told Entertainment Tonight.
In “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, Jason Momoa will reprise his role as Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman. Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman are among the returning stars, as James Wan is back as director.
The movie’s release has been rescheduled several times following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and post-production and financial setbacks. It is now set to arrive in U.S. theaters on December 20.
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