Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom producer Peter Safran said the fan petition to have Amber Heard — who plays Mera — removed from the sequel had no real impact on the film.
"I don't think we're ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure," Safran told Deadline. "You gotta 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."
"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 wishes," Safran added. "You have to do what’s right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it."
The petition to remove Heard from Aquaman 2 was created several years ago in the wake of Heard's divorce from Johnny Depp. "Amber Heard has been exposed as a domestic abuser by Johnny Depp," the petition alleges. "Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment should and must remove Heard from their Aquaman 2 film project. They must not ignore the suffering of Heard's victims, and must not glamorize a domestic abuser." The petition crossed 1.5 million signatures this past November and, as of this writing, has 1,855,687 signatories.
Heard made her DC Extended Universe (DCEU) debut as Mera in 2017's theatrical cut of Justice League. She reprised the role in Wan's Aquaman, co-starring alongside Momoa's titular hero. Her Justice League role was also recently expanded in Zack Snyder's Justice League, and she appeared in the film's epilogue, also known as Knightmare.
Directed by Wan, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently filming in London under the reported working title Necrus. The cast includes Momoa, Heard and Patrick Wilson, who will return as Orm / Ocean Master. Pilou Asbaek, who portrayed the sea captain Euron Greyjoy on Game of Thrones, will also star in the sequel in an undisclosed role. The film arrives in theaters Dec. 16, 2022.
Aside from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, DC had plans to spin out the horror film The Trench, which would have followed the horrifying creatures of the Kingdom of the Trench Mera and Aquaman fought off in the first Aquaman film. The movie was eventually canceled, along with Ava DuVernay's New Gods. However, Warner Bros. and DC indicated that these projects could return to the slate in the future.
Source: Deadline