This past week, a much rumored turn of events actually happened – Johnny Depp has been fired from Fantastic Beasts 3, following the verdict in his UK libel trial going against him, something that effectively brands the actor as a domestic abuser. His many fans have hit back against both of those controversial decisions, though, arguing that Depp has produced enough evidence to suggest that ex-wife Amber Heard abused him, and that the actress should be fired from Aquaman 2.
According to the latest report on the matter, though, that’s not going to happen. Insider Mikey Sutton of Geekosity reached out to his sources and he says they’ve told him that Warner Bros. has no plans to remove Heard from her role as Mera in the upcoming DCEU sequel. Given that legally she’s the victim of the situation, they feel it would be in poor taste to replace her, despite all the bad press.
What’s more, Sutton has also heard, in contrast to many other reports from notable insiders, that the actress’ role in Aquaman 2 will actually be increased. Apparently, WB wants to expand Mera’s screen time in a bid to match Marvel Studios’ new focus on female heroes, with the idea being that they might give her some kind of spinoff in the future. The studio is said to be worried about having only Wonder Woman as a family-friendly feminist IP right now and so is hoping to boost Mera’s popularity.
Sutton does make reference to the fact that there’s an increasing backlash against the actress, though, remarking that it’s “unknown” how WB may react to this in the future. A petition calling for her to be dropped from Aquaman 2 is nearing a hefty 1 million signatures, for instance, while #FireAmberHeard has been trending in the UK all day today.
Heard and Depp are due to battle it out in another court case next year in the US, so that could change the course of the tide again. But for now, it looks like she’s set to stay on as Mera.
