Amber Heard‘s representative has slammed rumors that she is being cut from Aquaman 2 as utterly untrue and “insane.” In a statement to HollywoodLife, the 36-year-old actress’ rep said, “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane.” The statement comes after a report by Just Jared claimed an insider confirmed that “Warner Bros. decided to recast Amber Heard‘s role after screentesting the movie.” The source noted that Nicole Kidman, 54, is up for the role of Mera and will be reshooting some scenes with Aquaman star Jason Momoa, 42.
After the report picked up some traction, though, Just Jared updated their exclusive post and noted that other sources “close to the Aquaman production” have denied Amber’s removal from the film. One source said that Amber still has a “small role” in the Aquaman sequel, which is due out in March 2023. Just Jared also reported that “other sources” are sticking with the original story and believe the role of Mera will be completely recast.
The drama follows Amber’s June 1 defeat in ex-husband Johnny Depp‘s $50 million defamation suit against her. The 59-year-old Edward Scissorhands star sued Amber for writing about being a survivor of domestic abuse in a 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post. While Amber did not name Johnny, the allegations of abuse were believed to be about him, and were about him as they battled it out in court. Johhny allegedly lost out on several projects, including his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the upcoming sixth installment of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, after the article was published.
Meanwhile, Amber countersued Johnny for $100 million and claimed to have lost millions in future roles and endorsements after Johnny sued her. In testimony from the trial, entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold claimed the only reason Amber still has a role in Aquaman 2 is because Jason and the film’s director, James Wan, were “adamant” about keeping her role alive. Kathryn said if it weren’t for their support, Amber would have very likely been axed from the Aquaman sequel.
However, Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada testified in court that the reason Amber’s role was in jeopardy had nothing to do with her legal battle against one of the most beloved actors of all time, but rather due to her lack of “chemistry” with Jason. “They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together,” he explained in a pre-taped deposition recorded earlier in the year, per Fox News. “I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was concern that it took a lot of effort to get there.”
As of now, it looks like Amber will be returning to the screen in Aquaman 2, but how much of a role she will have in the plot remains a mystery.