"Boycott Aquaman 2": Fans left livid after Warner Bros. producer defends Amber Heard's casting in the film

Modified Jul 31, 2021 07:13 GMT

Amber Heard as "Mera" in Aquaman (2018) and Johnny Depp as "Grindelwald" in Fantastic Beasts 2 (2018) (Image via Warner Bros. Pictures)

In an exclusive to Deadline, Aquaman 2 producer Peter Safran said they would not replace Amber Heard as "Mera" despite a massive fan campaign for her removal. In November 2020, followers mobilized to support Johnny Depp after his firing from "Fantastic Beasts 3."

In several tweets targeted towards Warner Bros., fans called out their double standards about replacing Depp and not Heard.

In June 2021, the campaign for Amber Heard's removal from the sequel gained traction after director James Wan shared a snap from the first day of production. "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" faced severe backlash and boycott threats from fans for the inclusion of Heard, set to reprise the role of Mera.

Last week, fan campaigns to remove Amber Heard as Mera were again trending on social media. Fans were inspired to voice their opinions after YouTuber Stryder HD uploaded a "deep fake" video of "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke as Mera.

Aquaman 2 producer shuts down any hopes for fans wanting the removal of Amber Heard as "Mera" in the sequel

On July 29th, in a Deadline podcast, Peter Safran defended WB's choice not to replace Heard in DCEU's Aquaman 2.

The Warner Bros. producer said:

"I don't think we're ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure. You have to do what's best for the movie. We felt that if it's James Wan and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That's really what it was."

He continued:

"One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesn't mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their [fans'] wishes."

Fans reaction to Peter Safran's comments

After the news of Safran's clarification regarding not replacing Heard broke out, fans started trending"#BoycottAquaman again.

WB should be very worried about the boycott threats aimed at Aquaman 2 because of AH's involvement. I'm one of those boycotting the film.
— Phil 🇳🇿 (@ChamooLive) July 26, 2021

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I'm boycott Aquaman 2 over this https://t.co/ZFLpvbKlLp
— Colin Horton Movie Reviews (@ColinHortonYT) July 31, 2021

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The boycott of Aquaman 2 needs to be of epic proportions. It has to be the strongest message ever sent to these studios, that what fans want DOES MATTER, or we will all just be a bunch of MUTED money sources for these greedy movie companies forever. https://t.co/GdEJZswudp
— 🏴‍☠️Justice JD 2022💜 (@GenevieDEPP) July 30, 2021

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#JusticeForJohnnyDepp ⚖️#MenToo ♂️We are standing with #JohnnyDepp‼️#BoycottAquaman #boycottaquaman2 pic.twitter.com/qbHKR64diF
— Teri Carson ☠️ 🇮🇪 💀 🇨🇮 ☠️ (@TeriCarson) July 28, 2021

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Well what they forget,We can do more than just boycott their movie. Most BIG MOVIES get product advertisement as well.So if @Pepsi, @CocaCola , @drpepper , @Fritolay , @Doritos , @KeeblerUS , or whoever advertise Aquaman 2 on their packages, we refuse to purchase them. https://t.co/HCxPuhH1i0
— The Reverend (@Darrell02554398) July 31, 2021

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So what i’m hearing is that Peter Safran supports domestic abuse #BoycottAquaman #fuckamberheard https://t.co/f0JoUYG3ug
— EggRoll (@EggrollTheSimp) July 30, 2021

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Amber Heard isn’t pulling anyone too this film She’s actually the only reason people aren’t going to see itYou know who would pull people to the cinema?Emilia Clarke https://t.co/NvddIh92ML
— Jack Evans/Cyrus but it's July (@jackevanswho) July 30, 2021

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What they MEANT to say was: “Aquaman 2 Filmmakers won’t remove Amber Heard from the film despite multiple ABUSE allegations.” ☕️🐸 https://t.co/zjSq2epASB
— Ethan Trace (@EthanTrace) July 30, 2021

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Boycott Aquaman 2. If Johnny Depp is fired from every project over false accusations then Amber Heard should be fired over actual facts that she was the abuser. #metooforJohnnyDepp
— Raising Anarchy (@raising_anarchy) July 31, 2021

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I hope that WB and that producer enjoy the bad press, criticism and boycott that Aquaman will receive. I can only hope for that movie to bomb at the box office.
— Bertha (@LadyofBeleriand) July 30, 2021

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The main controversy

The controversy originated in 2016 when 35-year-old Heard alleged that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star abused and assaulted her. This was followed by a long and ongoing lawsuit that resulted in Depp losing out on several major roles, including the "Harry Potter" spin-off, "Fantastic Beasts."

In January 2020, phone recordings were released where Amber Heard admitted to "hitting" Johnny Depo. This enraged fans as Warner Bros. decided to replace him as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts 3 with Mads Mikkelsen.

A Change.org petition campaigning for Amber Heard's removal from the sequel has garnered over 1.8 million signatures so far.

Aquaman, released in 2018, grossed over $1.1 billion in the global box office. However, WB seems confident that the possible "boycott" will not affect Aquaman 2's performance.

Edited by Ravi Iyer