10 Upcoming Movies That Are In Big Trouble

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom by most accounts had a relatively smooth shoot, wrapping this past January without any major on-set issues.

Its release date was pushed back from December to next March, apparently due to COVID-related VFX delays, though the smart money says that Warner Bros. really wanted to avoid the film getting stomped by Avatar at the box office.

But the major troubling aspect of the Aquaman sequel is Amber Heard, who reprises her role of Arthur Curry's (Jason Momoa) love interest Mera from the first film.

Heard is currently embroiled in a highly publicised defamation trial with her ex-husband Johnny Depp, and given some of the more unsavoury claims made about Heard in the case, her appearance in the film may ultimately prove problematic, especially if Depp wins the lawsuit.

There will be particular pressure on Warner Bros. to act given their prior expulsion of Depp from the Fantastic Beasts franchise after losing his libel lawsuit against The Sun. Failing to consider Heard in the same fashion may be seen as adhering to societal double standards regarding domestic abuse against men.

And given the vocal public support for Depp on social media, if Warner Bros. decides to simply weather the storm, it could very well put a not insignificant dent in Aquaman 2's box office.

Unlike most personal actor scandals, this one isn't going to be easily brushed under the carpet per the trial being livestreamed and widely dissected across social media platforms. To date a petition asking for Heard's removal from the film is closing in on 4 million signatures.

Yet if claims that Heard has less than 10 minutes of screen time are true, then the studio might be able to skate by without catching too much flak. We'll have to wait and see.