The infamous trial of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp has affected both actors to a great extent. Amidst their attempt to bounce back, Depp has jumped into Maïwenn’s French film, Jeanne du Barry, while his ex-wife has confirmed her return with a big DCEU movie.

Amber Heard as Mera in the DCU.
Upon her controversial return, Heard said that she’s reprising her role in the second installment of the Aquaman franchise, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Of course, it is a gamble on DC and Warner Brothers’ part but Heard’s recent comments indicate that the studio is to forge ahead upholding their decisions.

Amber Heard’s Return to Aquaman 2

Amber Heard’s return to the franchise is shocking, for many fans have shared their concern addressing how this could lead to a potentially similar fate as Ezra Miller’s The Flash. Also, many have argued why Heard is back on the scene while Warner Brothers asked Johnny Depp to step down from the Fantastic Beasts franchise earlier. The online debate and controversies surrounding the Never Back Down actor continue, but her return is confirmed.

Heard revealed that she has high hopes for the multi-million dollar project.
“Oh, of course. These are very different kinds of projects representing two very different ends of the spectrum in my industry.”
The actress told Deadline.
“There’s a ton of pressure on these big franchise movies, with millions and millions of dollars at stake, and compromises are part of trying to make it the most successful thing it can be. Then on the other end of the spectrum is a small indie film like ‘In The Fire,’ a work of art and work of love, with nowhere near the same resources, and so there are compromises there. The best luck you can have as an actor is to be able to balance both.”
Amber Heard’s character in the Aquaman franchise, Mera, is not a leading character like Miller’s Flash, but looking at the performance of Miller’s movie at the box office, it is safe to say that Heard’s return to the franchise was a courageous move on the studios’ part.

Amber Heard Said She Was Honored To Be A Part of The Franchise

Amber Heard as Mera in Aquaman
Heard’s Hollywood return is also a big step for the actor. Many factors are associated with a movie with a controversial figure onboard. Also, DCEU has not been doing well with its most recent releases. However, Heard said she was honored to be a part of the big DCEU franchise. “‘Aquaman,’ that franchise and the machinery behind it, I’m very honored, honored to be a part of that,’” Heard said.
“And then there are these small passion projects like ‘In The Fire,’ where I’m proud to have gotten to know the filmmaker and the cast, and we got dirty together, to breathe life into this story. There’s something cool about that, and I think success is an actor who is able to have both those things.”
It would be interesting to see if the Jason Momoa starrer $205 Million movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could help DC’s fate to bounce back. Also, the film was shot before Heard’s legal trouble.  Aquaman 2 is one of the last films from the previous slate of DCEU, and it would be interesting to see whether the new slate from the studio will continue with Heard’s character in the franchise.

Amber Heard recently made a comeback with Conor Allyn’s In the Fire, which premiered in Sicily’s Taormina Film Festival.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to hit theaters on 20 December 2023.