Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Director Responds To Amber Heard's Claims About Mera Getting Less Screen Time

In 2022, actress Amber Heard claimed her role as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was "pared down" due to her lawsuit against Johnny Depp. Director James Wan has now weighed in, telling Entertainment Weekly that it's always been the case that the sequel would focus on Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Orm (Patrick Wilson), and not on Mera.

"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," Wan said. "So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We'll leave it at that."

According to Entertainment Weekly, Heard testified in court that she had to "fight really hard to keep my career" after obtaining a restraining order against Depp. "I lost opportunities. I got dropped from jobs and campaigns." For Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Heard said the studio behind the film, Warner Bros., "didn't want to include me."

She also told the court that Warner Bros. "basically took a bunch out of my role."

The high-profile court case between Heard and Depp ended in 2022, with Depp found to have defamed Heard. He was ordered to pay Heard $2 million. Depp, meanwhile, was awarded $10 million from Heard in compensatory damages.

The Lost Kingdom premieres in theaters on December 20, 2023. Currently, the film's stars cannot do promotion for the film due to the ongoing Hollywood labor strikes. This was part of the reason why Warner Bros. delayed some of its 2023 films, including Dune: Part II, to 2024.

James Wan, who directed the first Aquaman, returns for The Lost Kingdom. A trailer is coming on September 14, but for now, check out a teaser.