Amber Heard Blasts Dismissal Rumors from 'Aquaman 2' Amid Johnny Depp Controversy
Amber Heard blasts the "paid rumors" that she was dismissed from the sequel of her movie "Aquaman."
This is in the wake of her involvement in ex-husband's Johnny Depp's libel battle with British tabloid The Sun.
Heard, who played Mera in the 2018 "Aquaman" film, told Entertainment Weekly that "paid campaigns" on social media won't stop her from getting the franchise's role.
The 34-year-old remains confident that she would be returning to her role once the production starts.
"Paid rumors and paid campaigns on social media don't dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality."
Despite the calls to have her removed, Heard revealed that she's excited to be filmed.
"I'm super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation that Aquaman has acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for 'Aquaman' and Mera that it means we'll be coming back."
Yet, there is still no green light that there will be an "Aquaman 2."
For what it's worth, fans of Johnny Depp launched a petition to have her dismissed from the movie, which has also continued to gain traction online.
A Change.org petition titled "Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2' aims to get about 1.5 million signatures. As of writing, the petition has 1.17 million.
Organizers believe that the Texas-born actress should have a similar fate to Depp, who was technically fired from "Fantastic Beasts."
Warner Bros. is in control of both the Harry Potter Wizarding World and DC Extended Universe, so it may have the same studio heads that could come up with a decision.
Online petitions for Heard's axing from the film are based mainly on several allegations thrown her way in the past couple of years.
While she has testified in London's High Court about her ex-husband's alleged abusive behavior, Depp also presented his own wild stories during his libel suit against The Sun.
And it's for that reason why the Change.org petition has over 1 million participants to make their voices known.
In the description, they alleged that it's Heard who has a history of abusing her partners. In 2009, she beat Tasya Van Ree and was arrested for it.
They believe that Heard recounted fake incidents of Depp physically abusing her, although numerous witnesses didn't notice any marks on her face hours or days after she claimed Depp hit her.
"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."
Given the timing of the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" actor's departure from the third installment of the "Harry Potter" spin-off franchise, it's evident that the results of his court loss primarily influenced Warner Bros' decision to force Depp to step down.
According to a judge hearing the case, they ruled in favor of The Sun over the Depp's claim that the term "wife beater" the outlet used is defamatory--which also showed Heard's victory.
However, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will have to battle it out in court once more in January for a $50 million defamation case for her Washington Post op-ed article claiming she was a domestic abuse survivor.
Meanwhile, there's no indication that the studio will be terminating Heard from the "Aquaman" franchise.
In fact, it was recently announced that she was doing reshoots for "Justice League."
