Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently shooting in the U.K., and there’s a steady trickle of behind-the-scenes images being posted by the cast and crew. Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are reprising their roles as Arthur Curry and Mera, though as yet we don’t have confirmation on what the “Lost Kingdom” is and why it’s important.
But still bubbling away is the ongoing controversy around Heard reprising the role of Mera.
Abuse allegations have been levied by the actress against her ex-husband Johnny Depp and vice-versa. Heard claims Depp has attempted to storm up viral social media anger against her role in the film; Depp has similarly claimed Heard has levied false public outrage against him. But after a legal victory in London, it now seems Heard’s set for a much larger role in the sequel, which may make her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.
But playing an Atlantean princess isn’t all tiaras and posing—it involves some serious pain in the gym. Check out this image of her exhausted on the mat, captioned “another day at the office”:
But this pain is the price you pay for looking good on screen. Here’s hoping we get some shots of her and Momoa in their revamped costumes soon. Beyond that, we saw that Mera would become a member of Batman’s post-apocalyptic “Knightmare” Justice League. That appears to be a narrative dead-end at the moment, but going forward who knows what could be turned into a spinoff?
Off-screen, the Heard-Depp legal battles continue. The next courtroom case will be in Virginia in 2022, where Heard and Depp are preparing for a big defamation trial. This is taking a number of twists and turns, with the latest a ruling in Depp’s favor that he can view documents showing whether or not Heard made charitable donations.
The Virginia judgment may land at around the same time Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases on Dec. 16, 2022, which could cause place intense scrutiny on both the trials and Heard’s role in the film.
