A spoiler-free discussion.
Jason Momoa as Aquaman
Getting a film produced and ready for the big screen is most certainly an arduous endeavor to achieve, particularly when hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to make it happen. Unfortunately, there can be numerous complications that can occur between the time the movie is made and the time it is released to the masses. Where the Aquaman sequel is concerned, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it would seem that there is an inescapable problem that has now arisen to plague the film. This reason is Amber Heard.
The actress, known for her portrayal of Mera in the Aquaman film and in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, is currently engaged in a very public and messy defamation court case with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Why this creates a problem for the studio is that, at the time of writing, the public perception of Amber Heard is no way short of being in the toilet.
In fact, there is even a Change.org petition calling for the removal of Amber Heard from Aquaman 2. The petition has since reached over four million signatures and it is not looking to be slowing down any time soon. This is further troubling news for the studio.
The reason the studio should be worried about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is precisely due to the negative press that Amber Heard has been getting. Although she may not be the main lead in the movie, with rumors stating that the actress only has 10-minutes of screen time in the film, the voluminous degree to which people dislike this actress might just result in more people foregoing watching this movie upon its release.
Regardless of who wins the court case, the public perception of the actress is at an all-time low, and that is reason enough for the studio to be worried that there will undoubtedly be some proverbial blowback to Aquaman 2’s box office numbers should Amber Heard remain in the role and be given a large amount of screen time. As the film has already wrapped filming and is now in post-production status, there is no possible way for the studio to make the necessary cuts to remove Amber Heard’s character from the film.
For fans like us who just want to watch our superhero content in peace, we would deeply be saddened if Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom flopped at the box office, as it would certainly mean a cancellation of the franchise for our favorite aquatic superhero. This would not only result in the end of Aquaman as a character, but it could have further ramifications that would disrupt an already fragile DCEU.
We can only hope that we are wrong in our prediction, but the reality is certainly leaning toward droves of people boycotting this film solely due to their dislike of Amber Heard.