A late development in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial had new witness Kathryn Arnold, an entertainment industry consultant, testifying that lead actor Jason Momoa and director James Wan fought to keep Heard inAquaman 2.According to Arnold, the two were “adamant” that she remain in the film, but some fans are rather skeptical of such claims given Momoa and Wan’s recent and seemingly suggestive conduct.
While the twoAquamanalumni have not released any formal statements addressing their stance on the libel case, they have both given subtle hints to possibly indicate where they stand. In the earlier stages of the court proceedings, it was discovered thatMomoa started following Deppon Instagram, leading fans to assume that he supports the veteran actor over his co-star Heard. Momoa has also refrained from speaking about the libel case since it began on April 11, and some people have interpreted his silence as a clear desire to stay out of the former couple’s legal drama entirely.
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An even more farfetched rumor has it that Momoa refuses to support Heard because of built-up tensions that stemmed from a former tweet she posted about his stepdaughter, Zoë Kravitz. In the tweet, Heard criticizedThe Batmanactressfor backing Depp when he had initially been chosen by J.K. Rowling to play the title character inFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Momoa has neither confirmed nor denied any of the aforementioned claims, but further reports of Warner Bros. expressing “chemistry concerns” between him and Heard have fans convinced that an ongoing tension exists between the two.
Wan, on the other hand, was not so low-key in his “response” to the defamation trial. The director’s recent activity shows that he suddenly unfollowed Heard on Instagram, sparking rumors that he is distancing himself from theAquamanactress. Like Momoa, he also has remained tight-lipped throughout the legal affair, despite the fact thatAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, his next passion project, is constantly being looped into the courtroom conversations. Adding to the drama is Wan’s wife Ingrid Bisu, who made some expletive-laced remarks on Instagram that were seemingly targetedtoward theAquamanactress. In a series of expiring posts, she wrote that “lies are an ugly f***ing thing” and that “the truth will always bleed through no matter how many years or decades it takes.”
Arnold went on to say thatAquamanwas supposed to be the career-defining project for Heard, one that could have potentially launched her into superstardom among the likes ofSpider-Man’s Zendaya,Wonder Woman’sGal Gadot, andNo Time To Die’s Ana de Armas. She also estimates that Heard’s total estimated losses due to Depp’s lawyer Adam Waldman calling her allegations a “hoax” is between $45 million and $50 million. At this time, it’s unclear how Arnold’s testimony will affect the jury’s decision, but a verdict is expected to be released on May 27.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis scheduled to premiere in U.S. theaters on August 08, 2025.
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