Like it or not, Amber Heard is set to reprise the role of Mera for Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, and it doesn't sound like she was ever in any danger of being fired or replaced as the character.
Heard confirmed that she'd signed on to return for James Wan's sequel last year, but many fans have been up in arms since it came to light that she lied about certain aspects of the legal case against ex partner Johnny Depp - and about donating her settlement to charity - and some feel she should be held equally (or at least partially) accountable since the accusations cost the actor his part in Fantastic Beasts 3.
However, producer Peter Safran has now confirmed to Deadline that even though Warner Bros. was well aware of the backlash, no action was ever seriously considered.
“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 James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was.”
“One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesn’t mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes,” he continued. “You have to do what’s right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it.”
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is set for release next December. We still don't know what to expect from the plot, but it's assumed that Black Manta will be the main villain this time. There's also a good chance that The Trench will feature more prominently, given Wan's fondness for the deep-sea terrors.
Game of Thrones alum Pilou Asbaek is set to join the cast, though no details on his role are known. Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are also expected to return as Ocean Master and Manta, respectively.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.