Aquaman 2 – now officially titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – is expected to begin shooting in the UK later this month. Who or what Arthur Curry will be facing off against remains a mystery but, let’s face it, no grotesque horror of the deep is going to outdo the legions of furious Depp stans on social media.
We’ve faced years of speculation about Amber Heard returning to play Mera: seeing multiple petitions to fire her, campaigns to recast Emilia Clarke in the role, rumors that Heard failed her physical, that she’s broken her contract, that she’s uninsurable, that her role has been drastically reduced, and so on and so forth. All of that amounted to diddly squat as yesterday we saw her share a picture of the flowers director James Wan and producer Rob Cowan sent to welcome her back to Atlantis.
Now that the battle to get her booted off the movie has ended in defeat, the fight has moved on to tanking the movie as a whole via a boycott. 20,000 people have already signed a petition pledging not to see the movie, and Twitter is full of people predicting that the sequel will flop. Here’s a selection:
Please @wbpictures transfer the money of Amber Heard's salary for Aquaman 2 directly to CHLA and Johnny Depp's bank account. No need for her to keep another seven million 😉 oof the boycott, can't wait!
— 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐨 is off… (@thefordtweets) June 19, 2021
#AMBER HEARD IS A LIAR #BOYCOTT AQUAMAN 2
— hivi🏴☠️ (@violet_sinky) June 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/WineDoodles/status/1403458312335548416?s=20
@wbpictures is employing @realamberheard despite her past as a domestic abuser. We will boycott aquaman 2. Steal anything we related, protest, burn it to the ground. We will never rest.
— MyNikkys (@MyNikkys) June 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/RhiRhi45641708/status/1406274221752336389?s=20
I love Jason Momoa but we need to boycott Aquaman 2 if @realamberheard is in it… no question.
— seon (@seondingh) June 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/Bethaboobs/status/1406896375590232070?s=20
https://twitter.com/chloethepiano/status/1403153978452418560?s=20
Much like the campaign to get Heard fired, I doubt this boycott will succeed. Cancel culture rarely works when it comes to blockbuster movies and I think this is simply a very loud (and very committed) minority. It’s also worth remembering that one of the reasons Aquaman was such a hit was its excellent international box office, particularly in China. I just don’t see international audiences responding to a US-led fan boycott of the movie, especially coming in the wake of Heard being vindicated in the British courts over her allegations of domestic abuse.
Then again, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to arrive after Heard and Depp’s next courtroom tussle in Virginia. After the London verdict (now upheld on appeal) legal observers think Depp may be fighting a losing battle, but if he wins that case and mounts a comeback the playing field might suddenly look very different.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters on December 16, 2022.