A new report chronicling the production of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sheds light on Amber Heard's deleted scenes.
According to Variety, the production of the Aquaman sequel has not been without its issues. The report refers to a therapy session where Heard allegedly described feeling unsupported on the set, in part due to her high profile legal battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp. Sources say that Heard was almost fired from the project, but that this was because of a lack of chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa.
One unnamed source close to Heard pushed back on the chemistry assertion, noting how she'd beatean out two other actresses who did chemistry tests with Momoa to land her role. It's also noted that ex-boyfriend Elon Musk stepped in by having a litigator send a "scorched-earth letter" to Warner Bros. threatening legal action if Heard was fired. In any case, Heard suggested in her defamation trial with Depp that she fought to keep her role in the film, arguing that it had been unfairly reduced significantly.
Amber Heard's Deleted Scenes as Mera
The Variety report lends credence to Heard's claims about her reduced screen time by divulging two particular deleted scenes involving Mera. One would have been an action sequence with heard and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta. Another is described as a love scene with Momoa's Arthur Curry. The film is said to have undergone multiple cuts after various test screenings, and it remains unclear at this time how much Mera will appear in the film, though her presence has already been downplayed by director James Wan.
"I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go,” Wan told Entertainment Weekly about the sequel, noting it was always supposed to focus on Arthur's releationship with Orm (Patrick Wilson). “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.”
The good news is that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may have a great showing in theaters despite the behind-the-scenes drama and the imminent death of the DCEU. Reportedly, early tracking is strong for the film, suggesting an opening that's similar to the original movie. Given how the first Aquaman was a billion-dollar film, a fantastic return would be welcome news for Warner Bros. and DC Studios after films like The Flash and Blue Beetle underperforming, but it remains to be seen if The Lost Kingdom will reach quite as much money as its predecessor.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released in movie theaters on Dec. 20, 2023.
Source: Variety