The petition to remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2 is quickly gaining momentum following the release of an audio clip in which the actress admitted to hitting Johnny Depp.
The public feud between the former couple has been going on forever and the two sides have had a lot to say about each other, making it difficult to see past wild accusations and find out the truth. Now, following the defamation lawsuit filed by the Fantastic Beasts actor, new pieces of evidence are bound to pop up from their personal lives, the latest of which, an audio clip of a conversation between the two, has proven to be quite incriminating for the DCEU’s Mera.
Though even prior to that, fans had started a petition to remove Heard from the upcoming sequel to Aquaman due to claims of domestic physical abuse against Depp. This appeal, which was posted on Change.org, had almost reached 45,000 signatures on its own over the past couple of months, but owing to what’s surfaced recently, it’s now nearing a staggering 150,000 signatures (it currently sits at 140,000 and is growing quickly).
It’s clear that people are angry at Heard, especially after Depp lost his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise because of her false accusations. The petition also doesn’t fail to mention that the actress has a history of abusing former partners, including the time when she got arrested in 2009 for fighting with Tasya Van Ree.
This plea has a pretty clear message as well, noting that men too can be subject to domestic abuse and this should be recognized by the entertainment industry. As the official description reads:
“As Amber Heard is a known and proven domestic abuser, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment should and must remove Heard from their Aquaman 2 film project. They must not ignore the suffering of Heard’s victims, and must not glamorize a domestic abuser.
Men are victims of domestic abuse, just like women. This must be recognized, and action must be taken to prevent a known abuser from being celebrated within the entertainment industry.
Do the right thing. Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2. “
It’s still unclear if Warner Bros. will actually decide to take a stance on this matter, though considering the controversy that’s ensued following the release of the aforementioned audio clip, this will no doubt be bad press for Aquaman 2 and as such, it’d be a bit strange if they did nothing. I guess we’ll only have to wait and see, though.