Amber Heard condemns 'paid campaigns' around her removal from Aquaman sequel

Actor Amber Heard has said that she will be returning as Mera for the Aquaman sequel, days after her ex-husband Johnny Depp exited the _Fantastic Beasts_ series. Last week, Depp revealed that he will no longer play dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the Warner Bros’ franchise after he lost his libel case relating to abuse allegations by Heard against a UK newspaper. The studio had also confirmed that Depp’s role will be recast before Fantastic Beasts 3 opens in theatres. Since then, many fans of Depp have asked Warner Bros to also fire Heard from Aquaman sequel. A petition has also been started to have her dropped from the Jason Momoa-starrer movie. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Heard said she is excited to start filming for Aquaman 2 soon. “I’m super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation that Aquaman has acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for Aquaman and Mera that it means we’ll be coming back. I’m so excited to film that,” the 34-year-old actor said. She also condemned the “paid campaign” to have her removed from the project. “Paid rumours and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate (casting decisions) because they have no basis in reality,” Heard said. “Only the fans actually made Aquaman and Aquaman 2 happen. I’m excited to get started next year,” she added.