The upcoming release of Aquaman 2 has already been marred by controversy due to the recent legal issues surrounding Amber Heard which has left many asking if the actress will still feature in the film.
Such was the backlash to her long-running legal battle with her ex-husband Johnny Depp that some fans even went as far as setting up a petition to call for her to be removed from the sequel.
Now, reactions to some of the early test screenings of Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom have emerged and they paint an even more troubling picture for a film that is slated to be the final entry in the DCEU before James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reboot of the franchise.
Is Amber Heard in Aquaman 2?
Yes, Amber Heard remains as Mera in Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom.
In November 2020, Amber Heard confirmed to EW that she would be reprising her role in Aquaman 2 after rumors had been circulating online suggesting that she had been dropped amidst her legal battles with Johnny Depp.
However, while Heard does appear in the Aquaman sequel, her role as Mera has reportedly been pared-down and reduced with the actress revealing at the infamous court hearing last year that new versions of the film’s script, “Basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch.”
Test screenings have not been positive
Coupled with the controversy surrounding Amber Heard, reactions to some of the film’s early test screenings have also given DC cause for concern.
Movie insider ViewerAnon recently took to Reddit to reveal the poor state that Aquaman 2 finds itself in.
“I’ll be honest, we’re half a dozen test screenings in and it’s not looking great,” wrote the scooper. “I’ve consistently heard over the last half year or so that it’s boring, not as good as the first, and potentially one of the worst DCEU movies.”
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However, the insider also explained, per The Direct, that Amber Heard’s presence in the film had nothing to do with the poor reactions as “she’s not in the film that much.”
Fellow insider source Big Screen Leaks (BSL) followed up on ViewerAnon’s comments on Twitter, saying: “It brings me no joy to back him up and tell you that test screenings for this film have not been good. Really hoping Wan fixes this movie before December.”
This has also brought a comment from film reporter Jeff Sneider who said: “I hear it’s terrible and that’s why Momoa is gonna be Lobo going forward. But they can’t say that yet because then it would be a lame duck… and DC is hoping to wring another billion out of the box office. First one was awful too, so not a huge surprise.”
Petition set up to remove Amber Heard from Aquaman 2
Despite having her role reduced in Aquaman 2, it hasn’t stopped film fans from setting up a petition on Change.org to call for Amber Heard’s complete removal from the project.
The petition was set up as Heard’s legal battle with Johnny Depp heated up and he was removed from the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise in November 2020.
Since then, the petition, urging DC and Warner Bros. to drop the actress, has amassed more than 4.6 million signatures as of February 2023.
Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters in the US on December 25, 2023.
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