Aquaman

Walter Hamada, the head of DC Films, testified that the studio considered recasting Heard's role in 'Aquaman 2' due to poor chemistry.

Heard has alleged that her role was “pared down” considerably over time, but Hamada testified it has remained static since the film was first developed in 2018. Heard was paid $1 million for the first “Aquaman,” and $2 million for the sequel. “They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said.

In the ongoing Depp–Heard trial, an expert testified that Momoa and director James Wan were “adamant” that Heard remain in the film.

“In the public, it’s been very negative,” replied Arnold. “In the industry, they like her work but they can’t work with her right now. “Her world has been silent in terms of opportunities,” she continued. She claimed that her role of Mera, the warrior princess and love interest to Aquaman (and future wife according to the DC comics), was “a very pared-down version” of what she had initially signed on to do following her legal battles with Depp. “They basically took a bunch out of my role,” Heard said on the stand. “They just removed a bunch out.” Because every time her name is mentioned, the negativity flares up again.” Arnold’s testimony supports Heard’s version of events.

DC Films chief Walter Hamada testified Amber Heard was almost booted from Aquaman sequel, but that Johnny Depp's abuse allegations were not why.

He also said that filming the sequel with Heard went smoothly. “The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry and it’s sort of movie magic and editorial — the ability to put performances with the magic of a great score and how you put the pieces together, you can fabricate that chemistry. They just removed a bunch.” … This one was more difficult because of lack of chemistry between the two.” “They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said. I got dropped from a campaign I had shot.

In court Tuesday, an executive said the studio considered recasting the role of Mera because Amber Heard and Jason Momoa lacked 'chemistry.'

“But I just know that through the course of postproduction, it took a lot of effort to get there.” The Mera character had first appeared in 2017’s “Justice League,” and Warner Bros. had an option to keep Heard in the role. “The reality is, it’s not uncommon in a lot of movies for two leads to not have chemistry. I got dropped from a campaign I had shot. “I got canceled from jobs. It’s sort of movie magic ... to sort of put performances together with the magic [of] a great score,” the executive said.

Testifying in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, an entertainment consultant has revealed Jason Momoa's extraordinary 'Aquaman' pay rise.

DC President of Films Walter Hamada is set to virtually take the stand on Tuesday, May 24th. Arnold testified back in February last year, and there were conversations that Amber may not be hired for the movie at all – but the two showed their support for her, TMZ reported. Johnny Depp trial today had nothing to do with the warring exes. Hamada is expected to reveal to the jury that there were no negative consequences for Heard in relation to the Aquaman franchise due to her legal situation, including her upcoming role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. "She was on the poster with the very handsome Jason Momoa….it was just this very extraordinary moment for her career to take off," she said. Aquaman grossed more than $1.1 billion ($AUD 1.5 billion) at the box office, but Heard’s name was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons due to her messy divorce with Depp, and that cost her a meteoric rise to fame.

During the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial, Warner Bros. acknowledged how it talked about a recast for Mera.

In fact, many seemed to enjoy Heard’s time as Mera and wanted to see more of her. ‘Did the two have chemistry?’ I think editorially, they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get to there and would we be better off recasting, finding someone who had better, more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa and move forward that way.” Hamada also confirmed that "[they] did not" take any official steps to audition any replacements. Despite Depp feeling the blowback, Heard has not yet been publically outside of any projects. The feud has quickly become one of the biggest within Hollywood in recent memory. The Pirates of the Caribbean star claimed that Heard is not the victim of domestic violence but the perpetrator––and how the original news article claiming abuse was a ruse to garner the actress positive press.

Aquaman star Jason Momoa and director James Wan wanted to keep Amber Heard in the upcoming sequel, Aquaman 2.

This one was more difficult because of lack of chemistry between the two.” “At the end of the day when you watch the movie, it looks like they have great chemistry,” he explained. “But I just know that through the course of postproduction, it took a lot of effort to get there. Sometimes you just put characters together on the screen and they work. So, they may not have hired her again,” Arnold said. “Her management team fought very hard, and they ultimately ended up hiring her, but not only because of what her management did, but also because star Jason Momoa and director James Wan committed to her.”

Aquaman director James Wan discusses his canceled spinoff movie The Trench and the possibility of reworking its horror concepts into another project.

Canceling a promising spinoff like The Trench is one example of this and an especially curious decision given how successful Aquaman and many of Wan's projects are. While Aquaman 2 will likely revisit the Kingdom of the Trench, Wan seems to be referring to one of his standalone horror projects, his most recent of which is Malignant. After getting his start in the world of horror, Wan transitioned to big-budget action blockbusters with Furious 7 in 2015 and followed that up with his entry into the DC Extended Universe in 2018.

Few filmmakers have proven as ambitious or imaginative in recent decades as James Wan, who got his start in the horror world with franchises like Saw, ...

"As part of our DC slate, some legacy development titles including New Gods and The Trench will not be moving forward," Warner Bros. and DC said in a statement at the time. While the DC Extended Universe has seen a number of successes, its underwhelming experiences are often attributed to the overall franchise lacking a cohesive vision for the series as a whole. So I would say of all the different thoughts and ideas I've come up with, I end up using maybe 20-30% of them in my work, and so I do have a drawer full of ideas that could develop into something else."

Aquaman and Wonder Woman both communicate with animals, which makes Aquaman's fish consumption in the post-Flashpoint universe seemingly hypocritical.

The changes made to Aquaman in the post-Flashpoint DC Universe are understandable, given Aquaman’s under-appreciated and misunderstood status within DC’s pantheon of heroes. Both Aquaman and Wonder Woman have the power to communicate with animals, but only the former is mocked for it, leading DC to make him seem hypocritical when mitigating this. Wonder Woman and Aquaman are among the greatest and most iconic superheroes in DC Comics, but unfortunately Arthur Curry is perhaps the most misunderstood hero.

"Aquaman" director James Wan made some intriguing comments about the horror spin-off that never was: "The Trench."

As James Wan explained in a May of 2022 interview with Comic Book, just because "The Trench" never happened doesn't mean he needs to scrap all of the ideas he came up with for it. That honor goes to "The Trench": an "Aquaman" horror spin-off about the titular underwater location that didn't make it far into production. As a result, "Aquaman" has cemented itself as an undisputed hit for Warner Bros.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may replace Mera with Dolphin from the Peter David Aquaman run, all thanks to the toxicity surrounding Amber Heard.

This truly would reverse Dolphin's introduction to Aquaman in the comics, as well as permanently get rid of the much more popular Mera in the movies. To set the stage for Dolphin and rid itself of Amber Heard, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may kill off Mera. This will allow Dolphin, who's to be introduced in the film anyway, to take over as the love interest. While this sounds problematic, given how much fans like the character of Mera outside of Amber Heard, but it's in many ways for the best. There are other versions of Peter David's Dolphin, such as the one more recently introduced into mainstream DC continuity via Rebirth. This version is a true Atlantean, albeit with a mutation that gives her fish-like, scaly hands. Dolphin may have swum into obscurity after her inaugural run, but she was once an immensely vital part of the Aquaman mythos. Aquaman's love interest, Mera, is seemingly being sidelined due to behind-the-scenes drama, with her replacement being someone from Aquaman's most popular era in the comics.

DC Films chief Walter Hamada testified during the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial that her role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom wasn't reduced because of ...

She added that Mera “ends up in the hospital early in this new Aquaman 2 movie and doesn’t really come out until the end to kind of wrap things up. “I believe that in the first act of the movie, she was injured somehow, or it had something to do with a baby,” she said according to Entertainment Weekly, suggesting that Aquaman and Queen Mera (Heard’s character) have a baby in the sequel. “The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry and it’s sort of movie magic and editorial — the ability to put performances with the magic of a great score and how you put the pieces together, you can fabricate that chemistry. “They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada testified, refuting Heard’s allegations about the reason behind her role being reduced. She also said that she ‘fought hard’ to keep her job, and that Warner Bros wanted to remove her entirely. During the ongoing trial, Heard said that the legal troubles and allegations have damaged her career, and that her role in the second Aquaman film was reduced because of it.

'Aquaman' director James Wan discusses the possibility of moving his plans for the canceled film, 'The Trench', into other DC Universe projects.

That’s my problem, is I come up with a lot of ideas and I have so many ideas just percolating, but obviously, I can’t use all of them. Most notably, James Wan revealed that the film was actually a solo Black Manta film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. It is not clear why Warner Bros opted not to move forward with the film, though his role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may have had something to do with it. While speaking to Comicbook.com, James Wan was asked if his ideas for The Trench would find their way into another film.