Aquaman 2 producer Peter Safran revealed he never considered bowing to ‘fan pressure’ to remove Amber Heard amid Johnny Depp legal drama
Amber Heard is currently filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, returning as Mera from the 2018 blockbuster Aquaman, though a rather vocal fan base would rather she not returned.
The 35-year-old actress has been embroiled in legal drama with her ex-husband Johnny Depp for the past few years, which has lead some fans to call for her removal from the film.
While Depp was ultimately removed from his Fantastic Beasts movies, producer Peter Safran recently told Deadline they had never considered removing Amber.
Amber returns: Amber Heard is currently filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, returning as Mera from the 2018 blockbuster Aquaman, though a rather vocal fan base would rather she not returned
Producer Peter: While Depp was ultimately removed from his Fantastic Beasts movies, producer Peter Safran recently told Deadline they had never considered removing Amber
‘I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. You gotta do what’s best for the movie,’ Safran said.
‘We felt that if it’s James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That’s really what it was,’ Safran continued.
He added that the producers were, ‘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.’
No fan pressure: ‘I don’t think we’re ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. You gotta do what’s best for the movie,’ Safran said
‘You have to do what’s right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it,’ Safran stated.
Fans started calling for Heard’s dismissal after her ex-husband Depp filed a libel lawsuit against the UK tabloid The Sun for branding him a ‘wife beater.’
Depp ended up losing that lawsuit, with the court ruling in favor of The Sun, which lead to the actor stepping away from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts 3, with Mads Mikkelsen replacing him.
Dismissal: Fans started calling for Heard’s dismissal after her ex-husband Depp filed a libel lawsuit against the UK tabloid The Sun for branding him a ‘wife beater’
Heard herself addressed the campaigns to get her removed from the film in November, stating they had, ‘no basis in reality.’
‘Paid rumors and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality. Only the fans actually made Aquaman and Aquaman 2 happen. I’m excited to get started next year,’ she said.
Production started on Aquaman 2 started in late June in London, with Warner Bros. setting a December 16, 2022 release date.
No reality: Heard herself addressed the campaigns to get her removed from the film in November, stating they had, ‘no basis in reality’
Heard also starred as Mera in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max in March.
She also starred as Nadine Cross on The Stand TV series adaptation, which was released in late 2020.
The actress will next be seen in Run Away With Me, following, an American in Paris who falls for a model and the two become intertwined in the criminal underworld of the European modeling industry.
Justice League: Heard also starred as Mera in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max in March