Elon Musk allegedly came to Amber Heard‘s defense amid talks his former partner would be fired from “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”

Per a new Variety report, the Tesla and X (formerly known as Twitter) owner is reported to have strong-armed Warner Bros. into keeping Heard cast as Mera in DC’s long-delayed “Aquaman” follow-up.

According to Variety, Warner Bros. and “Aquaman” director James Wan sent a letter to Heard’s attorney Karl Austen after the film‘s 2018 release to share the decision that Heard would be dropped from the sequel, citing a lack of chemistry with star Jason Momoa.

However, per Variety, Warner Bros. decided not to fire Heard after her former boyfriend Musk and his attorney sent a “scorched-earth letter to Warner Bros. threatening to burn the house down” if Heard was not back in the sequel.

DC Studios could not immediately be reached by IndieWire for comment.

Rumors that Heard would be fired from the “Aquaman” franchise resurfaced amid the defamation trial with Heard and her ex-husband Johnny Depp, with the suit filed in 2019 followed by televised court proceedings in 2022. Heard alleged Depp led a PR “smear campaign” against her, resulting in a “very pared-down version” of her original “Aquaman 2” role.

“I fought to keep my job and the biggest movie opportunity I had to date [with] ‘Justice League’ with the option to [star in] ‘Aquaman.’ I had to fight really hard to stay in ‘Justice League’ because that was the time of the divorce,” Heard said while on the stand. “I was given a script [for ‘Aquaman 2’] and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character, without giving any spoilers away, two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role.”

Reportedly, Heard appears in only 10 minutes of the sequel. Wan told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year that the sequel was never meant to focus on Heard’s character.

Also during the trial, notes of Heard’s therapy sessions were included in court documents, which Depp fans later paid to access and shared online. Heard claimed while in therapy that “Aquaman” co-star Jason Momoa drunkenly harassed her on set, including, per her point of view, dressing up as Depp.

Heard’s notes read, “Jason said he wanted me fired. Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too.”

A DC spokesperson told Variety, “Jason Momoa conducted himself in a professional manner at all times on the set of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.'”

An insider who was on the London set in 2021 told Variety, “He isn’t dressing like Johnny Depp. He has always dressed in that bohemian style.”

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is set for a December 20 release date.

      • Jaytreeman@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I know a lot of people that would be smart enough to get really smart people around them.

        You have to be a special kind of narcissist to want yes men around you all the time

    • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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      Not a hard question to answer when you remember how ridiculously stupid he is. I’ve been calling him stupid for a decade and I’m finally cashing in. Dude has accidentally succeeded a couple times and thinks he’s tony stark. Of course he’s going to say the dumbest shit imaginable because he thinks he’s smart so how could his thoughts be dumb?

      • JokeDeity@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        His “accidentally succeeding” is really just him buying companies, he’s not remotely creative or good at designing or building or anything really beyond hyping himself up and spending money he initially got from his dad, which is more or less the case for a lot of them.

  • li10@feddit.uk
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    Heard’s notes read, “Jason said he wanted me fired. Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too.”

    Something about that really made me laugh.

    It’s peak nut job rambling, making absurd connections and taking offence to random shit.

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    The more I know about Musk, the more I long for the day he is no longer of this existence. What sucks the most is he will probably live longer than me and I’ll have to learn new and existing things about how his influence has changed the world… Usually not in a better direction.

    • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
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      He used to go to the same saloon in Seattle that I frequented. I met him right before he started filming Conan. He was a funny guy. I bet he was hilarious mocking Depp to irk Heard. Wish I could have seen that!

  • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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    Imagine how much better Aquaman would have been if Emilia Clarke had been cast opposite Jason again. Those two have so much chemistry.

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        Johnny Depp was a toxic boyfriend and a chronic substance abuser. So was Heard, but the fact she’s a dumpster fire of a human being doesn’t make Depp a saint despite what the internet tried to tell you.

        Just two shitty human beings who made each other miserable.

        • Zorque@kbin.social
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          And a great deal of the internet as well, when they dragged their lovers spat into the public eye.

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          I have to admit I didn’t really follow any of the news, but the little I did see I summed up as a couple of assholes.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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          Depp probably has been shitty a lot, but the evidence suggests she’s far worse, they are not equal as you seem to suggest

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        I was going to ask this. Feel like people hate him because it was a he said she said of who originally was the abuser, unless I missed something. Don’t really follow celebs so it’s possible.

        • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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          The trial showed they were just both pieces of shit. The argument of if one is “at fault” for the other of that specific divorce doesnt matter to the end that it showed neither are good people.

          Comes with stardom, I guess.

          • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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            Neither are good people, but I have never seen so much hatred towards one person on the internet than what was directed towards Amber Heard. Literal child murderers don’t get so much hate. And I think, with so much hate towards the one side, people automatically assume the other must be a wonderful human being.

            And / or it’s just sexism. Reminded me a bit of the hatred towards that one woman in the show Tiger King.

            • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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              Yeah, you say that, but in my internet circles all I heard was a poor target and depp was a demonic, twisted abuser who gleefully dragged his ex by the hair through the public mud for having the audacity of trying to escape his abuse.

              They were both demonized. People just picked a horse to back.

              • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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                I am not talking about anecdotal internet bubbles or your personal friend group but the overall tone online or in social media.

                People like Kevin Spacey, Ezra Miller, etc. did worse and got much less hatred. Even though they were much more famous actors.

                I didn’t even know who Amber Heard was and the vitriol online was so bad I thought she was a serial killer at first lol

                • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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                  Half of twitter, specific substantially sized subreddits, the majority of tumblr, and a healthy amount of facebook for some reason, actually. Im hardly friends with websites.

                  The “”“overall tone of the internet”“” was just the twitter accounts and subreddits you happened to frequent. Not that theres anything wrong with that, mind. But the vitriol was equally abundant for depp.

                  First time Ive ever heard someone say miller is more famous than jack sparrow tho. Pretty sure he became famous for his crime spree. A spree so cut and dry obviously wrongdoing there was literally nothing to get riled up about. Spacey does have the fame, but… again, rape of a minor is pretty cut and dry heinous. You write them off as evil and move on.

                  Heard and depp were an argument. It got vitriolic because people picked a wrongdoer and argued with people who “picked wrong” and whipped themselves into frenzies. Kinda cant do that without someone to disagree with.

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            You could just admit that you don’t care that he’s a creep, borderline pedo and an abusive jackass. I don’t have to waste my time giving you the facts just so you can ignore them.

            Oh and I forgot to mention he’s an alcoholic and a drug addict, but I’m sure you think those people are trustworthy.

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                Always goes young. As he’s aged he’s sticking to early 20s but he’s about 60 so, yuck. He used to go younger. Old men who do this, usually do it cause they want someone easily manipulated and controlled.

                Also super abusive and is an alcoholic/drug addict

                • CaptFeather@lemmynsfw.com
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                  Oh right I forgot the age gap with Heard and Depp, though I know Heard isn’t quite that young it’s still weird lol. Same with DiCaprio though. What is it with big older actors going for barely legal women?

            • Sylver@lemmy.world
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              What the fuck is your problem dude? I asked for some discussion on why a person is shitty, and you go on to be a shitty fucking person to me just for asking you a damn question! Fuck off with your attitude, I just wanted to know what was so wrong with some famous prick I don’t know about.

        • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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          It’s a legitimate question. If you followed the trial, it was pretty clear that Heard lied through her teeth about a large number of things and was working hard to make him look horrible. I don’t follow celebrity stuff much, but other than being gleeful about her downfall, which honestly seems reasonable, I’m not sure what he did.

          • Microw@lemm.ee
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            There are tapes of him drunkenly screaming and destroying furniture. There are some other things he admitted to, which I don’t completely recall right now. There are the SMS he sent with fantasies of “burning and drowning” Heard. All in all, the impression I got from that trial wasnt a very favourable character for Depp.

            • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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              Okay, thanks. I didn’t get the impression that he was anything close to a perfect human getting, and I’m not in the vicinity of being a fanboy, but that trial seemed pretty one sided: she being a horrible, abusive, lying sack of shit, and him hating her but not lying or being abusive.

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                If breaking furniture and threatening to burn and drown your girlfriend isn’t abuse, then I must have missed something.

                Or maybe it’s just that abusers always stand up for other abusers and that says it all about the people who defend the guy online. Especially when he’s a complete stranger to them and they’re paying money to get court records so they can talk shit about Amber Heard on his behalf. Not pathetic at all.

                • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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                  Wow, so anyone who doesn’t see Depp in the same light as Heard must be an abuser? That’s quite an overreach.

                  The only evidence I saw of Depp threatening to kill Heard was Hesrd’s testimony. The same testimony that was so full of proven falsehoods.

          • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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            If you did watch the whole trial, not just the Depp PR clips that were disseminated, you could also see how Depp was also an abuser and a creep. But even if heard, who was also abusive had never met Depp, you’d see a whole life of questionable creepiness out of Depp. It’s funny how everyone rips on DiCaprio but Depp is even creepier. His new gf is like 25, he’s a gross old man.

            • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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              I think the old guys constantly dating the younger women is gross, but as long as they’re all adults it’s a legal kind of gross. I didn’t watch any social media coverage of the trial; my wife watched pretty much all of it and summarized it for me in the evenings, sometimes showing me interesting parts. I saw Depp saying some shitty things, but didn’t see him committing purgery or being overly abusive as Heard clearly did/was. I just don’t see them as equivalent.

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                The texts he sent, detailing how he wanted to rape, murder and dispose of her body were too far for me, and how he asked his friend if he wanted in on it. That’s not a sane man, no matter what she did to him. And if you look through the whole thing, even though she was worse and lost the case, he was also abusive and drunk/high. Both fed off each other’s toxicity till it blew up. He had great PR though, and the backing of the men’s right types, so he got away fairly clean. Just because someone won a court case doesn’t mean he’s a saint or good person.

          • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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            What am I your Google? Besides, it’s likely you know what he does but don’t care. The texts exchanged between him and Paul Bettany were psychotic and inexcusable. But beyond heard, he’s a 60 year old man who dates 20 year olds and has a penchant for manipulation and abuse. He had great PR during the trial though. Two abusive sacks of shit start fighting, and suddenly everyone thinks Depp is excused for his abuse because he plays a pirate good

            • CADmonkey@lemmy.world
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              Hmm, still no sources. You’re the one making the claim, you have to provide the evidence.

              • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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                Lol dude there’s court transcripts detailing their mutual abuse, and verified texts where he’s asking Paul Bettany to help him rape and kill Amber.

                If you don’t care that he’s an abuser fine, but don’t act like it didn’t happen

    • PeleSpirit@lemmy.world
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      Did any of them go to high school? Because their real life seems like the worst high school ever.

    • bazus1@lemmy.world
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      could we make it the far side of the moon? It be a huge fuel savings and we’d never have to see them and their “landing” site again.

  • Cossty@lemmy.world
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    Yeah, When I saw her in the trailer I was done with the movie. I will just watch Pitch Meeting instead.

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    Super hero movies and the efforts of everyone involved with them are a detriment to this planet as much as they are to art.

    • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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      no need to hate on union riggers, drivers, gophers, sparkies, chippies, LX, steadycam ops etc

      they’re just doing their job. and a good one

      • possibly a cat@lemmy.ml
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        No hate because it’s the working class plight, but technically… their efforts are still acting as a detriment guided by rich investors. I chose that word somewhat carefully, you see.

        Some of my own work has been detrimental to a sustainable planet - there’s nothing wrong with recognizing the rat race we are stuck in, the bullshit jobs we occupy, or the harm it causes.

        • keefshape@lemmy.world
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          Stop counting your debt, start counting that of others who profit from your efforts.

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            Are you saying I should focus my efforts where I can’t make any change? That’s what got us all into this pickle in the first place.

    • arc@lemm.ee
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      no need to hate on union riggers, drivers, gophers, sparkies, chippies, LX, steadycam ops etc

      they’re just doing their job. and a good one

      Super hero movies are just a fad that overstayed its welcome and studios are going to have to think of something else now. No need to read anything more into them than that.

      • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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        Superhero movies date back to 1937 with The Shadow Strikes, featuring The Shadow

        It is neither a fad, nor will it go anywhere. They are here to stay.

        They might just become less prevalent, like the Cowboy movies of the 1980’s.

        • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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          They were not what they are now until the Iron Man movie, or the Batman trilogy.

          • arc@lemm.ee
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            Yes they are a fad. Yes there have been superhero movies on occasion. But what has happened in the last 15 years is a fad. Studios saw it as a cheap and easy way to produce a summer blockbuster and it is clear in the last few years that people are getting seriously bored of them.

            Exactly. There have been superhero movies prior to this, but the last decade of DC / Marvel is something else and it’s clear people are getting bored with it. It’s a fad. A bit like how Hollywood had fads about 3D, or natural disasters, or scifi, or cowboys & indians. At some point audience viewers get fed up with it and they have to come up with something new. I’m sure there will be Batmans & Spidermans and other reboots from time to time, but not a constant production line.

        • arc@lemm.ee
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          Yes they are a fad. Yes there have been superhero movies on occasion. But what has happened in the last 15 years is a fad. Studios saw it as a cheap and easy way to produce a summer blockbuster and it is clear in the last few years that people are getting seriously bored of them.

    • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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      I don’t agree they have to be, but I do agree they almost universally are, especially modern ones. None of them do anything new or interesting, and none of them try to address complex topics.

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    Maybe I should pull a Josh Brolin and play Mera too, just to annoy Musk.

    Zero explanation on the replacement, it’s not like the recent DCEU movies are doing great right now, might as well as try something crazy.

    Plus, it’ll be really funny.

      • Margot Robbie@lemm.ee
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        1. Of course I am. I did like a whole promotional campaign for that movie here before the strike and everything.
        2. Of course I did. I’m the best part of literally every movie I’m in, especially for the movie I am not allowed to promote right now.
        • Margot Robbie@lemm.ee
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          As a real, professional actor and also as a contributing user of Lemmy, I resent being compared to a reddit novelty account with only one non-sequitur joke that wasn’t even that funny (even to wrestling fans) to begin with.

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    How is the production on almost every DCEU film such a shitshow behind the scenes. We had all the Justice League stuff, The Rock throwing his weight around and cratering Back Adams chances and now this.