Amber Heard Reportedly Almost Didn’t Return For ‘Aquaman 2’ Over “Chemistry” Concerns With Jason Momoa

Warner Bros. has had a string of bad luck, having to sever ties with actors such as Johnny Depp who was removed from the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise and replaced with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen after domestic abuse allegations became too hard to ignore. Depp’s co-star Ezra Miller (“The Flash,” “Justice League”) is also reportedly getting the boot from the studio after a recent arrest in Hawaii, seeing the actor potentially removed from both the Potterverse and DCEU in the future.

Speaking of the DC Comics movies, the latest Puck News newsletter mentions that DC Films president Walter Hamada sat for a deposition connected to Depp’s $50 million defamation suit. The studio head reportedly revealed that they had originally declined to pick up actress Amber Heard for the “Aquaman” sequel over “chemistry” issues with star Jason Momoa.

READ MORE: ‘Aquaman 2’ Producer Says Johnny Depp Fan Protests Will Have Zero Impact On Amber Heard’s Casting

The newsletter adds that Heard’s team believed the public legal drama with Depp was the real reason for the cold feet from the studio, and it sounds like Warners were first looking to avoid more headaches. Ultimately, Heard did return for the follow-up to the billion-dollar hit but couldn’t negotiate a pay bump, which she blames Depp for and is part of her countersuit against her ex-husband as Depp’s “lies” have allegedly cost her other lucrative roles.

How these messy lawsuits pan out remains to be seen, but Heard is back as Mera and will likely still be in “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom” when the superhero flick eventually hits theaters in 2023 after getting out of the way of James Cameron’s “Avatar 2.” The actress’ future in the DCEU is something else entirely as the studio is becoming more sensitive to the media attention and off-set antics of their stars.