The recent trial between ex-lovers Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has shined a great light on what’s going on behind the scenes with Warner Bros. Studios and the production of the Aquaman films. Now, news has recently broken that Heard may receive higher pay for the third film in the franchise.
The trial revealed many things about Heard's role in the Aquaman franchise. For example, Depp made some phone calls to higher-ups at Warner Bros. following Heard's audition, which pulled some strings to get Heard the role as Mera from the beginning. Heard also claimed that Warner Bros. was attempting to cut her role down in Aquaman 2 due to her ongoing legal troubles, but the studio denied these claims when Walter Hamada said her screentime was diminished for creative reasons and chemistry issues with Jason Momoa.
As the trial enters the deliberation stage, more has been revealed about Heard's role as Mera and her future with Warner Bros. Studios. Entertainment attorney Richard Marks revealed that if the actress were to return for the untitled third installment in the film franchise, she would receive a significant pay increase of $4 million dollars, in comparison to the $2 million dollars she earned for her part in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Marks went on to further explain that if Heard were to appear in Aquaman 3, which would result in a significant pay raise, her pay rate as an actress for films she would do after would start at this amount.
With $4 million dollars up in the air for grabs, that may seem like a lot to pass up, and it is. However, it's unclear that Heard will be working with DC or Warner Bros. in the future, considering some of the strong claims she made about the studio in court, and the revelations about how she landed her Aquaman role in the first place, which will definitely put a damper on how the studio is viewed professionally going forward. If Hamanda's claims are true, Heard and Momoa's lack of chemistry may result in her being left out of Aquaman 3 altogether, though this is pure speculation at this point.
The future for Mera in the Aquaman universe is still a mystery as of now, but with the sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hitting theaters in less than a year, fans' burning questions will likely be answered sooner than later.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom comes out in theaters on March 17, 2023.
Source: The Direct