Depp v. Heard: How 'Aquaman' Will Factor into the Trial
Amber Heard's biggest film, 'Aquaman' (2018) dir. James Wan, will play a significant role in her libel trial.
Author’s note: This article is part of a series covering the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard libel trial in Fairfax, Virginia. Domestic violence is a recurring theme throughout the series that some readers may find triggering.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233.
Actress Amber Heard’s biggest role to date is Princess Mera in the DC Extended Universe. Heard has appeared as the nautical superhero in Aquaman (2018) dir. James Wan and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) dir. Zack Snyder. Her appearances in the DCEU will be a hot topic at Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp’s libel trial.
Aquaman will be a significant factor in the outcome of Heard’s counterclaim — centered around comments made by Depp’s attorney Adam Waldman — against Depp. The latter’s legal team also plans to use the film in connection to Heard’s opinion piece for The Washington Post, the very basis of Depp’s lawsuit.
An attorney for Depp, Benjamin Chew, pointed out the timing of Heard’s piece; titled “I Spoke up against Sexual Violence — and Faced Our Culture’s Wrath. That Has to Change,” the piece was published one day before the theatrical release of Aquaman. That could be the beginning of Aquaman’s appearance at the trial.
DC Films President Walter Hamada gave a deposition detailing Heard’s appearance in the original movie’s sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which could potentially become public record.
Hamada reportedly testified that Heard’s option initially wasn’t picked up for Lost Kingdom due to concerns surrounding her chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa. When she signed on for the sequel, Heard allegedly couldn’t negotiate a fee increase commensurate with Momoa.
Amidst her legal battle, Heard’s appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has generated public opprobrium against the franchise; a change.org petition to remove Heard from the sequel has 1.8 million signatures. Nonetheless, producer Peter Safran told Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast, “I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure.” Safran followed with, “You gotta [sic] do what’s best for the movie. We felt that if it’s James Wan and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.”
After Wan announced the sequel title in an Instagram post, the backlash was imminent to the point where he turned off his comments.
Wan’s wife, actress and producer Ingrid Bisu, told me the effect of Heard’s legal woes had a significant impact. “We’ve gotten so much hate, including hateful messages on our doggie’s [sic] Instagram page. It’s insane. Some people have no limits as to how low they will go.”
Author’s note: Bisu relayed this to me in a message on Instagram. I was not a journalist on Substack at the time, so there was no ‘off the record’ agreement. Therefore, I am making this exchange public.
Many people pointed to connections with Elon Musk, who dated Heard while Aquaman was filming in Australia. Depp fans surfaced a photo of Wan, producer Rob Cowan, and Musk having dinner, claiming that Musk was behind Heard’s inclusion in Lost Kingdom. According to Bisu, Wan and Musk were not close, and the latter did not affect the franchise.
“We had dinner, we’ve even been to his house. But no connection to him whatsoever, haven’t spoken or heard from him or connected to him in years,” said Bisu. “The idea that these people think he’s paid someone is fucking insane. It was all around the first Aquaman when [Musk and Heard] were dating.”
The Aquaman references may intensify throughout the trial. On Heard’s exhibit list, e-mails, and text messages with Safran, Momoa, and Wan were submitted. Whether or not Heard’s attorneys use these exhibits as evidence, only time will tell.