Often when putting together a franchise, the powers that be offer the principal players a three picture deal. That cuts down on scheduling conflicts and keeps actors from negotiating for a better deal in-between each picture. But that’s not always the case. Just as often, they take it one film at a time.
In the case of the Aquaman franchise, it looks like they opted to do one film at a time. If that is indeed the case, no actor is guaranteed a part in the second or third installment.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Amber Heard is already scrambling to try to secure her place in Aquaman 3, even though AM2 hasn’t even begun to film yet.
There are doubts about whether or not Heard will even appear in AM2. Almost 2 million people have made it clear that they don’t want to see Amber Heard in any further AM films, and it’s possible that WB is paying attention. One rumor has it that Heard’s screen time in AM2 is being severely curtailed, with another female lead taking on more screen time.
Other rumors whisper that Heard’s contract has been bought out, meaning that while Heard got paid, she will not appear in the film at all.
There are several factors that will likely determine whether Heard comes back in any subsequent Aquaman films. First, there are the court cases going back and forth between Heard and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Depp is suing Heard for Defamation for portraying him as a domestic abuser who physically abused and terrorized her throughout their marriage. Depp is having none of that is on a legal crusade to clear his good name and prove that it was Heard who was the abuser the entire time. Heard has a lot of sob storied and the support of her friends to back up her abuse storied, while Depp has video and audio recordings of her admitting to abusing him. Unlike Heard, Depp also has medical evidence, including a fingertip that got severed and a burn on his cheek from a cigarette being put out on his face.
The two are also embroiled in litigation in England from a libel case that Depp leveled against NGN media and the Sun tabloid, for calling Depp a wife-beater. Initially, the judgement favored the Sun, who repeated that wife-beater claim again. But Depp is appealing the verdict, and will likely prevail.
If these two cases go Depp’s way, it doesn’t bode well for Heard’s continued presence in the AM franchise. Most films have a morals clause in their contracts, and if Heard is proven to be a domestic abuser again, that clause might very well be invoked.
I say “again” because Heard was arrested in 2009 for domestic abuse against her then wife Tasya Van Ree.
There’s also the issue of whether or not Heard is bondable. That is to say, whether or not she can be insured for the duration of filming. If she can’t be insured for any reason, like a preexisting medical condition, excessive drug or alcohol abuse, she can’t and won’t be hired for any future AM project.
Heard supporters insist that she’ll be in AM2 and 3 because there hasn’t been any official announcement from WB about her being dropped. But that’s not the way it works. If Heard has been dropped, there likely won’t be any announcement. The movie will simply come out without her in it. So fans who want her dropped who are waiting for an announcement won’t get one. We’ll just have to wait for the film to come out to see whether she’s in it or not.
Time will have to tell whether or not Amber Heard is in Aquaman 2, let alone Aquaman 3. We’ll have to wait and see how those court cases come out, and whether or not Heard is bondable. As ever, I’ll bring you the latest as I find it.