It’s not bad enough that Johnny Depp has lost the lead in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, has been asked to step down from Fantastic Beasts, lost his libel case against NGN and The Sun tabloid, and was denied his appeal. Now there are rumors that his ex-wife, Amber Heard, is in talks with Margot Robbie to appear in a remake of Pirates heavily laden with what Robbie calls “Girl Power.”
With this rumor about Pirates, what Heard insists will be her return to Aquaman 2 despite this petition that has more than 1.5 million signatures, and possibly a spinoff featuring Mera, her Aquaman role, it might look like Heard is riding high on a wave of professional success.
But let’s take a look at that, shall we?
First, there’s absolutely no substance to the rumor that Heard is getting anywhere near Pirates. Daniel Richtman said so on his Patreon account, and internet news sources have picked it up and run with it, but there’s no proof whatsoever. I could say that I’M going to be in Pirates, but that doesn’t make it true. Unfortunately, though, we live in a society where any tabloid rumor is considered news. But not everything you read is true, so don't take it on gospel just because it's on the internet.
Next, Aquaman 2. While Heard insists that she’ll be returning as Mera, there are a couple factors that make me doubt it. For one thing, the word through the grapevine is that WB bought out her contract. If that’s true, they paid her NOT to be in the movie. For another thing, the movie will shoot in Australia, where Heard is being investigated for perjury in relation to when she smuggled her dogs into the country in violation of Australia’s bio-laws. She could get arrested if she shows up there. And the main cast usually knows exactly when production is going to start, and all she can say is “Next year.” Nah, I sincerely doubt that Heard’s going to appear in AM2.
A Mera spinoff? There’s even less of a reason to believe that this is happening, and that’s saying something. There might have been a time when this idea was bantered about, which is understandable considering the popularity of the original film, and WB might be looking to ramp up their own girl power front. But now, with Heard’s troubles, I sincerely doubt that a spinoff is going to happen. You can see all of the reasons I gave above regarding her return to Aquaman. And you can add the whispers that Heard is unbondable, which would mean that she can’t be insured for filming. No insurance, no filming. Not for Pirates, AM2, and definitely not for her own film franchise.
No, folks. These rumors of all these great projects are just that. Rumors. Spoon fed to the media by someone with an agenda. It sounds like Heard is trying to not only obliterate her ex, Johnny Depp, in courts and in the press. It looks like she’s trying to replace him. What’s next? Heard being prominently featured in a Harry Potter film? It wouldn’t surprise me if that rumor started floating around, too.
Be careful what you believe in the press, folks. Until those rumors can be corroborated, take ‘em with a pinch of salt. The proof is in the pudding, and I’ve got a feeling that Heard is going to leave us all starving.