New information has come to light over Amber Heard’s next movie.
Credit: Warner Bros.
Back in 2018, DC Studios’ Aquaman surprised many when it flew past $1 billion at the global box office. To this day, it remains the DC Extended Universe’s highest-grossing film, performing better than the likes of Man of Steel (2013) and Wonder Woman (2017). Even the crossover Justice League (2017) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) did not perform as well as Aquaman.
Led by Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, AKA Aquaman, the James Wan-directed DCEU movie also starred Patrick Wilson as King Orm, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Amber Heard as Mera.
Credit: Warner Bros.
Heard’s involvement in the Aquaman sequel remained under contention for quite some time following the legal battles with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.
Back in 2016, Heard filed for divorce and took out a restraining order against Depp. The pair, who met on the set of The Rum Diary (2011), became the center of public attention after Heard wrote an opinion essay in The Washington Post that detailed her being the victim of domestic violence.
What followed was a libel trial in London, where Justice Andrew Nicol sided with The Sun and News Group Newspapers LTD. Both Depp and Heard testified in the case that was launched when The Sun printed that Depp was a “wife-beater.” As a result of the outcome and Depp’s appeal refusal, the actor was out of his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, as well as his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean.
Credit: Disney
Then, last year, Depp and Heard’s defamation trial rocked the world. The $150 million court case centered on Heard’s Op-Ed, and after six weeks of trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, Judge Penney Azcarate revealed that the jury going Heard had defamed Depp on all three counts, with Depp defaming Heard on one count through his former lawyer Adam Waldman.
Throughout the trial, Heard’s leading role as Mera in the DCEU came into question, with multiple different reports surfacing about her involvement in the movie. However, after footage debuted earlier this year, it can be seen that Heard will be returning alongside Jason Momoa (a move that sparked #JusticeForJohnnyDepp to blow up online), although in what capacity is still unknown.
Now, new information has come to light about Heard’s next movie, which will also be the franchise’s last.
Credit: Warner Bros.
As the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes sweep Hollywood, certain movies have been delayed, such as Warner Bros. tentpole Dune: Part Two (2024), which has moved out of its November release to now open in March 2024.
Many wondered if WB would once again move Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) into 2024, but that isn’t the case. James Wan’s sequel is still slated to hold up the Christmas season, releasing on December 20, 2023, when it will also end DC’s current franchise. While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom takes place after the reset established in The Flash (2023), it will still be inclusive of the DCEU, with future movies being part of a new franchise.
Credit: Warner Bros.
After suffering waning support, the DCEU, as fans have known it for years, will soon be rebranded into simply the DC Universe. James Gunn and Peter Safran took over Warner Bros.’s troubled franchise, revealing earlier this year the first wave, “Chapter 1 — Gods and Monsters.”
Featuring movies like Superman: Legacy (2025) and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and TV shows like Creature Commandos and Waller, the DCU will reboot everything fans have come to know over the last decade. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the final DCEU movie.
Credit: Warner Bros.
Amber Heard can be seen in In the Fire (2023), which debuted at the Taormina Film Fest this year.
