The latest round in the heavily-publicized and incredibly messy divorce battle between ex-spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard could end up having a huge effect on the careers of both stars, which isn’t ideal when they currently hold high-profile roles in two of Warner Bros.’ most lucrative franchises.
Depp may have been booted from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, something the fans have made very clear they’re not happy with, but he’s still involved as Fantastic Beasts‘ Grindelwald. Although, there’s been rumors that the Harry Potter spinoff series might be forced to wrap things up on HBO Max soon rather than tell its story over five theatrical movies, as originally planned.
As for Heard, she played the female lead and took second billing in the highest-grossing DC movie ever made, but if the various online petitions get their way, she could end up being dropped for the upcoming Aquaman sequel. Recent reports may have claimed that she’d be kept on alongside the similarly-controversial Ezra Miller, but we’re now hearing that the studio have contingency plans in place depending on the outcome of the feuding former couple’s latest trial.
According to our intel – which comes from the same sources that told us last month that Ben Affleck would be returning to play Batman in The Flash – if public opinion sways even further in Depp’s favor and Heard comes out looking like the villain of the piece and on the losing end of the trial, then Warner Bros. are considering Emily Blunt as a potential replacement if they need to drop her from Aquaman as a result of the negative publicity and bad press.
Blunt has come close to joining a superhero franchise before, of course, having been Marvel’s original choice for Black Widow, while the actress recently signed on to star in comic book adaptation Ball & Chain at Netflix opposite Dwayne Johnson. And if Heard ends up being dropped due to the outcome of her legal battle, then the 37 year-old Edge of Tomorrow star would surely be considered a vastly superior replacement by the majority of fans.
