With trouble brewing behind-the-scenes of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, rumors circulated that Amber Heard would be cut from the movie. So is the actress in Aquaman 2?
As Mera, Amber Heard was integral to the first Aquaman movie, being Arthur Curry’s love interest, as well as a hero in her own right.
But the actress then hit the headlines through her relationship with Johnny Depp, which ended in a high-profile court case.
With Aquaman 2 undergoing multiple reshoots, there was word that the actress might not make the final cut. So is Amber Heard in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? Read on to find out…
Is Amber Heard in Aquaman 2?
Yes, Amber heard is (still) in Aquaman 2.
However, her appearance hasn’t been without its controversies. In early trailers for the film, Heard’s character Mera didn’t feature at all.
In an interview with EW in September 2023, Aquaman 2 director James Wan revealed that Mera would have a “pared down” role in The Lost Kingdom compared to the first movie. He also stated that the vision was always for the sequel to focus on the relationship between Aquaman and Orm.
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“I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm,” Wan said. “So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”
However, executive producer of Aquaman 2, Walter Hamada, stated that Amber Heard’s role was never reduced in the movie. However, Hamada did touch on the alleged chemistry issues between Heard and Momoa.
Walter Hamada, the executive producer for the movie "Aquaman", said in a video deposition that #AmberHeard was not released from the "Aquaman 2" contract or given a pay increase. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/USYUhejS5U
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 24, 2022
“It was the concerns that were brought up at the wrap of the first movie production, which is the issue of chemistry,” Hamada stated. “Did the two have chemistry? The chemistry, you know, editorially, they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie but there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get there and [they] would be better off recasting [and] finding someone who had a bit more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa.”
Fan rumors also stated that Emilia Clarke would be taking over the role of Mera, though the footage is actually deepfaked.
It is still unknown exactly how much screen time Amber Heard will have – but she’ll definitely be in Aquaman 2.
For all the latest Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom content, check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.