In case you thought it was safe to go back in the water in the hopes that the legal drama surrounding Amber Heard would spell her removal from DC extended universe – or rather, if you didn’t read our last report on the matter -Warners Bros. upcoming plans will leave you dismayed.
Related Rumor: Amber Heard’s Role In Aquaman 2 Will Be Bigger Than Before
Mikey Sutton and Geekosity’s latest scoop indicates WB is still thinking about a Mera solo film with, Heard returning as the red-haired queen of the sea, despite the actress’s legal scandal and resulting petitions.
Sutton stresses that the studio is only discussing this and no movie has been greenlit, but it’s clear they aren’t taking the petitions and outrage seriously.
Related: Amber Heard Staying On for Aquaman 2
For Warner Bros., the public outcry is no different from the pushback Disney experienced with Captain Marvel and Heard is, in a sense, their Brie Larson, as a source told Sutton that the studio sees “it no differently than the boycott of Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel film, which proved to be ineffective as it brought in over a billion to Disney.
“They believe it’s artificially inflated and most likely politically motivated,” the source continued. “They don’t base their decisions on web chatter.”
If it’s a reflection of the demand and audience perception, “web chatter” should matter, but it appears beside the point, as it’s clear WB is paying more attention to Aquaman’s billion-dollar global haul, $813 million of which came from overseas.
Though Arthur Curry’s success may have occurred nearly two years ago, it seems that Warner Bros. is seeking to keep the same set of cast and crew, which proves that the company will look the other way at any scandal or wrongdoing in the name of box office returns, especially foreign, unless your name is Johnny Depp.
Depp recently lost his defamation suit against The Sun in the UK, in which he argued that the paper had unsubstantially described him as a ‘wife-beater’ following a Washington Post op ed in which Heard asserted the same, but has another court case against Amber Heard coming up, which in theory, could be the deciding factor on whether or not Heard remains in the role.
Likewise, there may be momentum on the side of Mera getting her own movie, as she has already been on screen and can be looked at as a female Aquaman, which is enticing to the goals of extraordinary box office results and establishing greater female representation they can market to demos in the PG-13 range, particularly so so they can compete for pop culture attention with Marvel’s Black Widow and Captain Marvel.
To this end, the previously announced Batgirl and Supergirl films have heavily indicated that they will take place within the same DC Extended Universe continuity as Aquaman and Birds of Prey.
Related Rumor: Supergirl Movie is Canceled and Henry Cavill Will be Back as Superman
However, Supergirl is believed to be canceled as of this year and Batgirl has basically stalled, though BOP scribe Christina Hodson is attached as the writer.
Amber Heard is a lock for Aquaman 2 and Warner Bros. is allegedly playing catch-up with Marvel/Disney’s push for diversity, so don’t be shocked if Mera’s solo film moves forward.