Mera actress Amber Heard previously claimed that her role in Aquaman 2 was reduced, and director James Wan has now commented on the topic.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reports that Amber Heard’s role as Mera was reduced get addressed by the DCEU movie’s director. Jason Momoa will return this December to end the DCEU with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, making way for James Gunn’s new DC Universe. While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s cast features multiple familiar faces from Momoa’s first solo adventure for what might be the actor’s last time in the role, Heard’s Mera will not have quite the same role she had in the original movie.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan commented on Heard’s reduced role. The actress had previously claimed that her role was reduced in the film due to her very public legal dispute with ex-husband Johnny Depp, but that is not the reason given by Wan for Heard’s smaller role in the Aquaman sequel. According to the director, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s story “was always going to be [about] Arthur and Orm” — “a bromance action-adventure movie.” Check out the full quote below:

“I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”

Which Actors Are And Aren’t Returning For Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom

Back as Arthur Curry is Momoa, leading the DCEU’s final movie and possibly ending his time as the Justice League member in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While Heard’s Mera will have a smaller role in the sequel, fans can expect Patrick Wilson’s returning Orm to play a major role in the movie. As explained by Wan, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will focus on brothers Arthur and Orm reluctantly working together.

The duo will be joined by Aquaman’s most iconic villain, Black Manta, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II returning as the villain. Based on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s synopsis, the movie could be adapting a dark story from the comics, with Black Manta going after Arthur’s 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 as payback for the hero’s role in his father’s death. Other notable returns in the movie include Aquaman’s parents — Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.

Dolph Lundgren will also be returning for the sequel as Xebel’s King Nereus, and so will Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin. While many stars will be reprising their roles from the original movie in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Vincent Regan will be replacing Graham McTavish as King Atlan. A major absence will also be felt in the DCEU’s last movie, as legendary superhero movie actor Willem Dafoe will reportedly not be back as Vulko. Still, with exciting new additions such as that of Game of Thrones‘ Pilou Asbæk in a mysterious role, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom should be a thrilling finale for the DCEU.