Musk’s letter to WB, Amber Heard’s scenes allegedly cut, Jason Momoa 2023 allegedly drunk on set
A fresh source of headaches for the film’s studio arose when damaging court records from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation dispute appeared on Reddit on the same day in mid-September that Warner Bros. released the trailer for its $215 million “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” jason momoa 2023
The court costs for the disclosure of Heard’s therapist Dr. Dawn Hughes’s files were covered by Depp fans. Scribbled on a legal pad, the raw notes were a part of the high-profile trial that Depp won last year. They talk about an antagonistic “Aquaman” set when an apparently drunk Jason Momoa, dressed like Johnny Depp, tried to force Heard to give up her part as the aquatic superhero Mera.
The notes state, “Jason said he wanted me fired.” Jason was inebriated and arrived late to the stage. putting on a Johnny look. has every ring as well.
A DC representative refuted Heard’s portrayal, saying, “Jason Momoa conducted himself in a professional manner at all times on the set of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.'” A Momoa representative declined to comment. That was echoed by others. According to an insider who was on the London set in 2021, “Jason works his ass off, likes to have a beer once in a while like everyone, but doesn’t show up drunk to set.” The insider also said that the two stars got along and were often seen joking together. Furthermore, he doesn’t dress like Johnny Depp. He has always worn that free-spirited look.
Although Heard opted not to respond, a close source of the actress verified that the notes pertain to the “Aquaman 2” set and are based on a session that took place on December 27, 2021. According to a second person close to the actress, the therapy notes were subpoenaed by Depp’s lawyers during discovery, and her lawyers opposed their release.
Not just Momoa, but other “Aquaman” principals were also targeted. The therapy session also revealed that Heard felt marginalized and unsupported by James Wan, the film’s director, as a result of her well-publicized divorce from her ex-husband.
Hughes writes of Wan, “He raised his voice @ me — ‘I can’t even post about Aquaman’ — made it seem like it was my fault – I said ‘I’m sorry.'” “Due to the blackout, nobody could take selfies with me on set.”
Wan chose not to respond. According to a DC representative, “James is known for fostering a positive, collaborative environment on set and for treating members of his cast and crew with the utmost respect — the ‘Aquaman’ films were no exception.”
Nevertheless, insiders close to both sides tell Variety that Heard was almost dismissed. Due to the actress’s lack of chemistry with Momoa, the studio and Wan decided to cut her from the sequel after “Aquaman” was released in 2018. They informed Karl Austen, the actress’s attorney, of their decision in a letter. (In the defamation trial, Walter Hamada, the former head of DC Films, discussed the “chemistry issue.”) These sources emphasize that Heard’s bounce was arranged independently of Depp and occurred prior to Depp’s 2019 lawsuit against the actress. Momoa did not participate in the decision-making process either.
However, a different source refuted the claim that Heard and Momoa didn’t get along, pointing out that Heard passed a chemistry test with Momoa and defeated two other actresses, including Abbey Lee.
According to a person familiar with the behind-the-scenes conflict, Elon Musk, Heard’s ex-boyfriend, had one of his lawyers write a “scorched-earth letter to Warner Bros. threatening to burn the house down” if the actress wasn’t brought back for a sequel, so the studio ultimately decided against firing Heard. Warner Bros. eventually gave in and proceeded with Heard. (A request for comment from Musk was not answered.)
The drama is being replayed at a moment when “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” the last film in the previous regime’s superhero slate, is set to be released on December 20 by DC Entertainment top dogs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Following the arrival of Gunn and Safran four months after Warner Bros. presidents Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca in June 2022, the four have been stuck with DC duds they inherited, such as this year’s “The Flash” ($271 million global) and “Blue Beetle” ($128 million worldwide).
Nevertheless, given that the character’s debut film brought in $1.15 billion globally and became the highest-grossing DC film ever, the “Aquaman” sequel seemed promising. However, other sources claim that the sequel faced difficulties unrelated to the Heard tale and underwent testing in the 1960s before undergoing a recut in the summer of 2022. The movie underwent testing in the 1960s despite the revision, which led to a recut.
According to an insider, “the movie is like this echo of regimes.” “It’s the final piece of the Snyderverse, and nobody wants to really own it.” Reshoots continued until the May WGA strike of this year. The on-set source refutes the notion that “Aquaman 2” is problematic, pointing out that the movie was completed on schedule, on budget, and required only a few weeks of reshoots.
Similar to “Flash,” “Aquaman” struggles to shed its cliches as the DC world undergoes a transformation under new management, which is Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s primary concern.
None of the actors that Zack Snyder tapped for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 and Justice League in 2017—Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, and Momoa, among others—will really return to their respective roles in the new DC world. Maybe Momoa will come back, but not as Aquaman. According to sources, the actor is in negotiations to play Lobo in a stand-alone picture or in Gunn’s 2025 revamp of “Superman: Legacy.”
Unbelievably, Viola Davis, who portrayed Amanda Waller in the last two “Suicide Squad” films, will continue to play that character in the Gunn-Safran DC universe in the Max series “Waller” that airs next year and perhaps in the upcoming “Superman” tentpole. “Peacemaker,” one of Gunn’s Max series, is another exception. John Cena will star in the show’s upcoming second season.