In the midst of a libel trial, a petition to replace Amber Heard in Aquaman 2 has gained new traction
So far, more than 1.9 million people have signed the petition, and the figure is growing every day as Amber Heard’s trial continues.
The legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has reignited calls for the latter to be removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Depp and Heard are currently resolving their differences in court after each accusing the other of domestic violence and physical abuse throughout their marriage. Depp is suing Heard for $50 for defamation, while Heard is suing Depp for $100 million, claiming that he is the one who is defaming her by alleging she abused him.
The problems between Depp and Heard, on the other hand, were well-known years before this trial. Audio recordings, which have lately been played in court, were previously made available for everyone to listen to on the internet. Heard apparently admits to starting “a physical fight” with Depp and “striking” him on another occasion, according to these recordings. Fans felt it was unfair that Depp had reportedly lost his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean series because of Heard’s claims, prompting a social media campaign called “Justice for Johnny Depp.”
Depp’s situation was made worse by the fact that he lost a separate libel case against a UK newspaper for calling him a “wife-beater” in a published story. Depp claimed shortly after that he had been requested by Warner Bros. to withdraw from his position in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, despite the fact that filming had already begun. Because the same studio had stayed away from Heard’s involvement in Aquaman 2, a popular Change.org petition seeking Heard’s dismissal grew in popularity, stating that the evidence supported Depp.
The new trial has heightened public awareness of the matter, and the petition is gaining traction once more. As of this writing, it has over 1,931,000 signatures, and the figure is still growing, with several new names being added every minute. The following is the description of the petition:
“Amber Heard has been exposed as a domestic abuser by Johnny Depp… As Amber Heard is a known and proven domestic abuser, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment should and must remove Heard from their Aquaman 2 film project. They must not ignore the suffering of Heard’s victims, and must not glamorize a domestic abuser. Men are victims of domestic abuse, just like women. This must be recognized, and action must be taken to prevent a known abuser from being celebrated within the entertainment industry.”
With nearly two million people signing a petition to have one of the film’s main stars removed, it appears that many would-be moviegoers would pass on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom when it is released. It remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the sequel’s release, given the original’s enormous popularity. It may have aided Warner Bros. in delaying Aquaman 2 until 2023 by putting additional distance between the trial and the film’s release.
Fans boycotted the new Warner Bros. film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore for recasting Johnny Depp’s character, and while the picture did fall short of company predictions, it’s difficult to determine how much of it can be attributable to Depp’s firing. Other fans have already called for a boycott in response to J.K. Rowling’s contentious remarks about the transgender community. The film’s lukewarm reception during its initial release may have led to the dramatic dip in ticket sales during its second weekend in theaters.
In any case, it appears that over two million Depp fans, at the very least, will skip seeing the film. On March 17, 2023, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released. The petition can be found on Change.org.
