A previous claim by scooper KC Walsh that that upcoming test screenings of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would be interesting in the wake of Amber Heard’s losing verdict in Johnny Depp’s defamation case against her may have just earned a contending spot for the title of ‘Understatement of the Year’.
RELATED RUMOR: Amber Heard Being Cut From Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Taking to Twitter on June 3rd, Walsh offered this suggestion in response to a claim from an anonymous individual that “There was a meeting and all of Amber’s scenes will be deleted from Aquaman 2”.
“I didn’t think they would but sounds like they are,” said Walsh. “The next test screening should be interesting”.
In light of how the trial resulting from Depp’s defamation case was an entire disaster for Heard, with her reputation and credibility being lost among the average audience member even before the jury ruled against her, it logically follows that Warner Bros. would be ready to cut her loose.
However, there’s not been a turn in the saga that no one foresaw.
According to tipster and former contributor to Walsh’s GWW news outlet The Moonlight Warrior, Heard is not only still in Aquaman 2, but her screentime has gone up from under 10 minutes to “close to 20”.
RELATED: DC Films President Walter Hamada Denies Amber Heard’s Claim Her Role in Aquaman 2 Was “Pared Down”
In a follow-up tweet, Warrior acknowledged that her extra screentime was unexpected.
“She had 10 minutes in the test screening before this one, so her screen time has increased,” he reported.
If this scoop is true, it would demonstrate outright hypocrisy on Warner’s part, considering how they fired Depp from the Fantastic Beasts franchise based on allegations and would seemingly be bending over backward to keep the unpopular actress in the picture – even rewarding her with extra screentime – once again based solely on Heard’s word.
The studio also looks like they are caving to her demands, as she testified on the stand that her role was ‘pared down’ in each rewritten script, even allegedly losing an sequence that she was looking forward to filming.
However, this claim was refuted by DC Films head Walter Hamada himself, who in a deposition provided as part of the trial explained that Heard’s screentime was cut down because her story wasn’t as critical to the film as Orm’s.
Hamada also revealed he was trying to replace Heard because he didn’t think she and Jason Momoa had any chemistry, adding their onscreen relationship only come across as genuine thanks to careful editing.
Interestingly, it turned out that Momoa and Aquaman director James Wan were the ones who fought to her in the film, leading one to wonder if either of them could possibly be making similar moves now.
The exec didn’t get his way and, as he is likely on his way out with David Zaslav in charge, Warner is doubling down on Amber Heard – should we be able to take Moonlight Warrior’s intel at face value.
Do you believe this latest rumor about Heard’s screentime in Aquaman 2? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!