Cameras are currently rolling on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. And much to the chagrin of a very vocal contingent of fans, Amber Heard is reprising her role as Mera. Even before the first film was released, Heard began weathering a storm of backlash due to her allegations of domestic abuse against ex-husband Johnny Depp, who has consistently denied her claims. Now, producer Peter Safran is weighing in on the situation.
The backlash against Heard reached a fever pitch last year when an online petition calling for her dismissal from the sequel attracted nearly 2 million signatures. But while appearing on Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast, Safran reminded fans that they aren’t the ones who make those decisions.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure,” said Safran. “You gotta do what’s best for the movie. We felt that if it’s [director] James Wan, and [star] Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.”
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“One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse,” continued Safran. “But that doesn’t mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes. You have to do what’s right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it.”
Meanwhile, Depp’s career has taken a few hits over the past year. Last fall, Warner Bros. asked him to step down from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 and subsequently cast Mads Mikkelsen to replace him. And just this week, Andrew Levitas, who directed Depp in Minamata, accused MGM of burying that film’s release in response to the allegations against him. The studio later issued a statement claiming that a premiere date is still being decided.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters on December 16, 2022.
What do you make of Safran’s remarks? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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