Jason Momoa accused of torturing Amber Heard on set of Aquaman 2

New reports suggest Jason Momoa went out of his way to make life on the set of Aquaman 2 sheer torture for costar Amber Heard.

Just when it seemed like the drama surrounding Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom couldn’t get any worse, new leaks from Reddit paint a truly heartbreaking picture of the treatment star Amber Heard had to endure while filming the sequel to 2018’s billion-dollar hit.

For those who haven’t been following the story, let’s start at the beginning. During the Depp vs Heard trial of 2022, actress Amber Heard alleged that her role in the sequel to Aquaman was drastically pared down as a result of her suit against Depp.

"“I was given a script 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. They just removed a bunch out,” Heard alleged during the trial."

Heard’s claims were backed up by Hollywood producer Kathryn Arnold who went into great detail to outline the way in which Heard’s role was reduced (h/t: Comic Book):

"“She didn’t hear anything. She wasn’t getting the scripts when her colleagues were getting the scripts. She heard that through her agents. And then when she got the script, it was pared down from the first script dramatically. They had her in the hospital very shortly in the first part of the movie, called Act One. They had her in the hospital, and they pretty much had her in the hospital, and then she was going to do this action sequence in the end. She trained five hours a day for several months for the trainer to do this big action sequence. And then when she got to set, two things happened. One, the costume designer said ‘I don’t know what happened to your role. It got diminished.’ And more importantly, this big action sequence that she was going to do at the end of the movie and the third act was cut out. They took it away from her. So, it was radically reduced from what it was in the script, and what she even trained for, while she was preparing for the movie.”"

DC President alleged Heard lacked chemistry with Momoa

Responding to the accusations during the trial, President of DC Films at Warner Bros Walter Hamada alleged that there were chemistry concerns between Heard and her co-star Jason Momoa, but noted the plan was always for the focus of the sequel to shift to Aquaman’s relationship with his brother Orm.

"“From the early stages of development of the script, the movie was built around the character of Arthur and the character of Orm. Arthur being Jason Momoa and Orm being Patrick Wilson, so they were always the two co-leads of the movie…  The movie was always pitched as a buddy comedy between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson.”"

Those concerns with the stars’ chemistry apparently led to a decision to recast, but DC instead opted to bring Heard back for the film as Mera.

"“Did the two have chemistry? The chemistry, you know, 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 there and [they] would be better off recasting [and] finding someone who had a bit more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa.”"

Aquaman 2 director doubles down on less Mera

More than a year after the Depp vs. Heard trial called into question Amber Heard’s status in the sequel to Aquaman, the movie’s director James Wan finally broke his silence in an interview with EW. 

When speaking with the publication, Wan reiterated Walter Hamada’s comments in noting that the plan was always for the sequel to shift the focus to Arthur and Orm’s relationship.

"“I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”"

Mera will be in Aquaman 2, but her role has been reduced

In the end, the decision was made to bring Heard back for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but it’s clear that her role has been dramatically reduced. Despite the focus of the film being on Black Manta coming for Arthur and his family, Heard’s Mera appears destined to be sidelined from the film which seems like an interesting choice.

Given Mera and Arthur wed and started a family, one would assume Mera would be by his side in the fight against Black Manta. After all, in coming for Arthur’s family, he’s coming for Mera and her child with Arthur. So why wouldn’t she be a part of the battle to bring Black Manta to justice? After all, you can tell a story with multiple relationship dynamics and there is no reason for a lead character to take a back seat in a role that is literally built upon protecting one’s family.

Our first indication of Heard’s reduced role came with the release of the first trailer for the movie which barely featured Mera, with just one blink and you’ll miss it moment.

Jason Momoa created a toxic work environment on Aquaman 2

The latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is perhaps the most shocking and disheartening yet. While initial reports suggested that Jason Momoa fought to keep Amber Heard on the film and was an ally, new reports seem to paint a very different picture.

In recently leaked notes taken by Heard’s psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes, it is indicated that both Momoa and director James Wan took an active role in attempting to remove Heard from Aquaman 2. When that didn’t work, it’s alleged that Momoa began dressing up as Heard’s ex, Johnny Depp, on set as a way to “torment” her.

While some have tried to claim these actions could be viewed as friendly pranking, dressing yourself up in attire similar to someone’s ex while they’re in the midst of a highly publicized and contentious split is in no way a harmless prank. And the toxic work environment Heard faced doesn’t stop there.

According to Dr. Hughes’ notes, Heard was prohibited from taking selfies with anyone on the set of the movie nor was she allowed to share any film-related content on her social media platform, with Wan even reported to have engaged in a heated conversation with Heard about posting content connected to the film.

Zack Snyder stood by Amber Heard

If there is one silver lining to this story, it’s that the release of Dr. Hughes’ notes has confirmed that there was at least one major figure at DC who had Heard’s back. In the unsealed documents leaked to Reddit, it was revealed that Justice League director Zack Snyder and his wife, producer Deborah Snyder, stood by Heard throughout the trial and fallout.

The notes allege Momoa attempted to get Heard removed from Justice League, but Synder stood by Heard which honestly only makes us love him more!