During the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, Heard revealed that she had to fight to keep her role in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom film, and she accused the film's studio of wanting to remove her from the superhero flick entirely. However, DC Films chief Walter Hamada testified, bringing DC’s side of the story to light.

According to Hamada, Heard's role in Aquaman 2 wasn’t reduced due to the reason she alleged in court. Heard had said that her part was trimmed due to the Depp allegations and that the studio unexpectedly made changes to her part in the middle of shooting Aquaman 2.

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Hamada revealed during the Depp $50 million dollar defamation lawsuit that the decision to alter Heard's role in some way in the film wasn’t out of the blue. He continued to testify that DC studios contemplated recasting Heard's role as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for several weeks. Hamada then made it clear that the decision to alter the role was due to the lack of chemistry between Heard and her co-star Jason Momoa, who plays Aquaman. Hamada said, “They did not have a lot of chemistry together.”

Amber Heard Johnny Depp Trial

Hamada went on to discuss that a slight lack of chemistry between two main characters isn’t uncommon in filmmaking and that it can usually be fixed with some editing and more movie magic. However, Heard and Momoa's detachment from one another was a greater challenge for the studio to manage. This completely contradicts Heard's story that her fight to stay in the film was because of the negative public opinion of her due to the abuse allegations Depp made against her.

When asked if Heard's role was reduced in the movie, Hamada answered that it wasn’t. He went on to add that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was never supposed to have a romantic co-lead like it did in the first film. The sequel from the early stages in the writer's room was meant to follow the “buddy comedy” trope, having that playout with Momoa's Aquaman and Patrick Wilson as his half-brother, King Orm. Despite the conflicting takeaways about what went down on set, Hamada said that shooting the sequel with Heard went smoothly and made a note to add that her role was well perceived by audiences in the first Aquaman film, but still, after that film, the studio had their concerns about Heard's role as the female lead.

Now with both sides to the story revealed, audiences have more clarity about why the role of Mera has been changed from the first Aquaman film, beyond the claims made solely by Heard.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to arrive in theaters on May 17, 2023.

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Source: Hollywood Reporter