Things seem to be going somewhat in favour of actor Amber Heard. Amid the storm of rumours and allegations that are going around her and Johnny Depp, there seems to be no end to their feud. Now there are reports that not only Amber Heard will be returning as the Atlantean Queen, but she will be getting a raise as well.
The Petition to Remove Her
After Johnny Depp lost his libel case with The Sun, he informed his fans on Instagram that he was asked by Warner Brothers to step down from the role of Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series. Later, there were reports that Disney was following them, cutting off Depp from the Pirates of The Caribbean series.
Depp’s removal from both the franchises enraged the fans. They sought removal of Amber Heard in the Aquaman sequel, starting a petition. There seemed to be three main reasons. Firstly, they felt Depp’s removal to be wrong. Secondly, they did not find Heard to be the right person to play Mera because her performance was not that good.
The third and the most important reason was that Amber had a history of domestic abuse before when she was in a relationship with photographer Tasya van Ree. The petition, that currently has 1.8 million supporters, seeks justice for Depp, pointing out that men can be victims of domestic abuse as well.
Amber Speaks Out
As the petition to remove or replace Heard gained some air, the Aquaman actress spoke in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. She said that she was excited to play Mera again on screen. Heard expressed her gratitude to all the love the fans gave to the Aquaman movie. She said that the sequel would start filming sometime in 2021, crediting the fans.
Regarding the campaign to remove her from the franchise, Heard commented that paid campaigns and paid rumours do not play a role in casting. There is no real basis in the first place. So for now, this means that she is sure to return in Aquaman 2.
The Pay Raise
Obviously, Warner Brothers has no reason to remove Heard. She has not been found guilty as of now. Moreover, Aquaman fared well at the box office. For any sequel, this means a pay raise for the actors. As per Daniel Richtman, Jason Momoa, who played the lead character, earned around $14 million. On the other hand, Amber Heard made around $7 million, half of Momoa’s earnings. Note that her role was a supporting role in the movie.
Now, for the sequel, Richtman says that Heard will be getting a higher amount. Although the amount is not mentioned, it could be around $10 million or closer to Momoa’s earnings, or both. Therefore, it may indicate that Heard’s role could have more screen time, making her a female lead. There is no information about Momoa’s raise yet, but there should be some for sure.
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