Amber Heard Has Elon Musk to Thank for Aquaman 2 Role, Apparently
The flamboyant billionaire seems to have saved the actress's fledgling career.
When the initial Aquaman movie was launched in 2018, it was an immediate global success, grossing over $1 billion in box office sales and getting high praise from both fans and critics. However, the much-anticipated sequel to the Jason Momoa-led blockbuster is not expected to match the performance of its predecessor because of the current transformation of the entire DCEU, with fans showing more interest in waiting to see what James Gunn will have to offer rather than caring about the characters from the version of the franchise that's on its way out.
Moreover, Amber Heard's reprisal of her role in the sequel didn't help it one bit, as the actress is now almost universally hated following her much-publicized and ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. Nobody would have been surprised if Warner Bros. had dropped her from the sequel, but apparently, they had no choice but to keep her in the film, and here's why.
Musk Steps In
Not many people are aware that Musk and Heard dated for about a year back in 2017. The two parted ways quietly, with Musk later marrying singer Claire Elise Boucher, professionally known as Grimes. Musk remained friends with Heard, though.
During the height of the controversy involving Heard and Depp, James Wan, the director of Aquaman, attempted to fire Heard from the sequel, citing her lack of chemistry with Momoa as the reason. Reportedly, Wan was about to go public with his decision when the studio got a crucial letter from Musk.
While the letter was never made public, insiders have since confirmed that Musk threatened to bury Warner Bros. under a pile of lawsuits if they fired Heard from the Aquaman franchise. Apparently, the threats worked and Heard was retained in the cast for the sequel.
However, Wan retaliated against the actress and her influential friend by revising the script and reducing Heard's role as Mera in the sequel to the bare minimum.
Hollywood is getting more and more bizarre, isn't it?