Heard and the team at Warner Bros. made it clear to fans that she was not going to be removed from the sequel.
A path for one of the DCEU's younger heroes to take his own place in the franchise will be opened by Heard's hero spending most of Aquaman 2 pregnant with her and Arthur Curry's child.
Heard's contract with Warner Bros. ended with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom after her roles in Justice League and Aquaman. The superhero franchise is in a state of change due to Heard's legal troubles, as she is set to reprise her role as the Atlantean royal. Regardless of what happens there, Heard seems fairly sure that her time with the DCEU may be coming to a close as the entire franchise potentially looks ahead to some major changes in the near future.
The president of DC Films noted a month ago that Heard's option for the sequel was initially declined due to chemistry problems with her co-star, even though the studio still brought her back regardless of those issues. She received $2 million for her appearance, which doubled her salary for the first movie, but it seems unlikely that the studio will bring her back for future outings.
Warner Bros. is keeping its plans close to the chest, but it will likely depend on the box office numbers for the sequel. It's unclear how big her role is, but it's clear that Heard isn't happy with how the situation unfolded for her. Even though she's still set to reprise the role she played in Aquaman and both cuts of Justice League, her future within the franchise is uncertain at best.
On top of an uncomfortable amount of controversy that Warner Bros. is already dealing with, Amber Heard's trial puts both her and the studio in a difficult spot.
She claimed that Warner Bros. reduced her role in the sequel due to the trial. The oft-discussed Amber Heard vs. Johnny Depp defamation trial has hit a new turning point in recent days as Heard opened up about her status with the DC Extended Universe.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Heard returned to the stand in her defamation trial. Heard has opened up about what's to come with her time in the Justice League universe.
The movie "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" will be released on March 17, 2023.