Fans were calling for Heard to be removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as well as the Harry Potter spin-off film series Fantastic Beasts, following a libel lawsuit filed by Depp against the parent company of British tabloid The Sun. Heard said that she had to fight to stay in the film due to repercussions from her personal life, but she was wrong. The recent defamation trial brought against Heard by her former husband Johnny Depp over allegations of abuse has put her franchise future in question.
The chemistry of the two people was brought up at the end of the first movie. It's likely that WB intended Mera to have a large part to play in the franchise's sequels based on her relationship to the character in the first film. The full extent of the changes will only be clear when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters on March 17, 2023. Walter Hamada, the President of the company's DC film and television division, confirmed that the studio considered recasting Heard in the film. I think editorially they were able to make that relationship work in the first movie, but there was a concern that it took a lot of effort to get there and would we be better off recasting, finding someone who has better, more natural chemistry with Jason Momoa and move forward that
During the Heard trial, Hamada confirmed that the studio considered replacing Heard with someone else.
WB did reduce Heard's role in the sequel, but he rebuked the actor's claims that it was due to public backlash stemming from her battle with her ex-husband. Heard's personal affairs were not the reason for the casting changes, but a lack of chemistry between her and Momoa in the previous film. According to Heard, Warner Bros. wanted her removed from the film entirely because of her dispute with Depp, and that her role as Mera was cut down from its initial size.
Heard has been released from her contract with Warner Bros., leaving her future within the DCEU in question. The actor made her DCEU debut in Justice League as the princess of the underwater kingdom of Xebel. The character's part was cut back because of ineffective cinematic chemistry between Heard and Momoa. salacious details about the actors' relationship have been revealed in the trial. She reprised her role in the movie.