Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Amber Heard witness appears to give away Aquaman 2 spoilers during Johnny Depp trial testimony

Heard has claimed her role in superhero sequel was signifcantly cut down due to legal battle with Depp

Isobel Lewis
Tuesday 24 May 2022 14:29 BST
Heard's op-ed had basically no impact on Johnny Depp's career, expert says

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A witness for Amber Heard in her trial with Johnny Depp may have given away spoilers for Aquaman 2.

Depp is suing Heard for $50m (£39.7m) for implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post, and allegedly making it difficult for him to land the kind of prominent Hollywood roles he used to.

Heard is countersuing Depp for $100m (£79.4m), accusing him of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”.

Last week, Heard said that her role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was significantly cut down amid her legal battle with Depp.

“I fought really hard to stay in the movie. They didn’t want to include me in the film,” she said. “They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch.”

While describing character Mera’s “very pared-down” storyline in the new film, Heard was careful not to give away any spoilers for the film, which is scheduled for release in 2023.

However, further details may have been given away by one of her witnesses.

Heard in court last week
Heard in court last week (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

*Potential spoilers for Aquaman 2 below*

On Monday (23 May), entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold appeared in court, saying that Heard’s op-ed had had little impact on Depp’s career.

During her testimony, Arnold recalled the changes Heard allegedly told her had been made to the Aquaman 2 script.

“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.

While she stressed that she hadn’t read the script herself, she said that in the new version, Mera “ends up in the hospital early… and doesn’t really come out until the end to kind of wrap things up”.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

“All the interactions with Momoa’s character, and certainly the action scenes, were taken out,” she said.

Read live updates on the trial here.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in