Amber Heard posted to Instagram some behind-the-scenes photos from the making of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and thanked fans for supporting her return to the comic book franchise as Mera. The post is notable considering that Heard claimed in court during her 2022 defamation trial involving Johnny Depp that Warner Bros. “didn’t want to include me” in the “Aquaman” sequel due to the fallout from her divorce from Depp. She said her role in the sequel was “pared down” and action scenes were “taken away” as a result.
“After all this time, ‘Aquaman 2’ made its splash (sorry, it’s too easy),” Heard wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to all of my fans for the overwhelming support and love in Mera’s [‘Aquaman’] return. Thank you so much.”
More from Variety
Heard did not do much press for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” nor did other stars in the film such as Nicole Kidman and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Only leading men Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson hit the publicity trail for the movie, which has floundered at the box office with just $81 million and counting in North America since launching Dec. 20. Heard’s Mera was a main character in 2018’s “Aquaman,” which crossed the $1 billion worldwide, but she has a smaller supporting role in the sequel.
According to director James Wan, the sequel was never meant to focus on Mera and Aquaman the way the first movie did. He told Entertainment Weekly before the sequel opened in theaters that “Aquaman 2” always prioritized Aquaman’s relationship to his villainous half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), over his one to Mera.
“I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go,” Wan said. “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.”
A few weeks before the sequel’s release, Variety reported claims that Jason Momoa allegedly dressed up like Depp on set and pushed to have Heard booted from the movie. Notes from Heard’s therapist also revealed she felt unsupported by Wan during filming.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
