It’s almost hard to believe, but it’s been a year since Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation lawsuit reached a verdict. Both actors have moved to Europe to find some sense of privacy, although they’ve continued to make headlines. Since the defamation trial was available to watch on TV, the court of public opinion made its own judgment. Those who are on Depp’s side have been coming down hard on his ex wife, and there’s a super popular online petition to have her removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. And it turns out the petition about Heard and Aquman 2 is still quietly racking up signatures.
The petition about Amber Heard and Aquaman 2 was started back in 2019, seemingly in response to Johnny Depp being fired from the role of Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3. The petition has amassed a ton of digital signatures over the years, and about 9 months ago it hit the 4 million mark. Folks are still signing up on the Change.org page to this day, with 85 new signatures coming last week. Clearly there are still some strong emotions tied to the former couple, and the effects of their legal battle.
At this point of writing this story the total number of signatures on the Amber Heard petition comes in at 4,630,238, with a goal of 6 million. It’s unclear how long it might take to get to that massive number, especially if the pace doesn’t pick back up. Still, there are clearly folks who are on Johnny Depp’s side, and don’t think it’s fair that he lost a major job form Warner Bros. and his ex-wife did not.
For now Amber Heard is still expected to appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, although DC sequel’s contents are currently a mystery for the public. There is a rumor that Heard’s character Mera will be a smaller role this time around, although that’s yet to be confirmed by the studio. This could help quell the naysayers, who take umbrage with her continued role in the DC Universe. We’ll just have to wait and see if it’s actually true.
Depp was asked to step down from his role as Grindelwald after he lost the libel case against the U.K. publication The Sun for referring to him as a wife beater. He had much better luck with the defamation trial, with Amber Heard found guilty on three counts and him found guilty on one. In the year since, Depp’s professional comeback has been underway. Although he’s yet to line up another major blockbuster film.
While Amber Heard is expected to appear in the Aquaman sequel, it’s possible that will be her final bow as Mera. The new DC Universe co-CEOs have been making sweeping changes to the franchise, and it’s unclear if Jason Momoa’s franchise will continue on, or if he’ll be recast in another role.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
