Amber Heard was 'annoyed' by Jason Momoa's pranks while filming 'Aquaman', co-stars DID NOT get along
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Aquaman' co-stars Amber Heard and Jason Momoa apparently didn't really get along while they were filming together on set. The second installment of the DC series, 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' is set for a December 2023 release, which has notably been pushed back multiple times due to Heard's highly publicized court battle against ex-husband Johnny Depp.
The actress lost the trial last year and was found guilty of defaming her ex-husband. Shortly after, several online petitions demanded the removal of Heard's character in the second 'Aquaman' movie. Regardless, the actress has retained her role as Mera in the upcoming film. That said, many are wondering if it was the right call considering the movie's recent test screenings were a ratings disaster, with reports claiming people were walking out of theaters because the movie was so bad.
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Lack of chemistry
The Animated Times reported how the lack of chemistry between Heard and Momoa was a major issue during the filming of the first 'Aquaman' movie. The two had very different personalities that led to the actress once publicly complaining that she was "annoyed" by her co-star's attitude. Momoa allegedly tore pages from her books and Heard wasn't having any of it. “I got annoyed [with] him because on the set, I read books and I’m quiet," she explained. "He’s allergic to not making people laugh or keeping people engaged around him all the time. So he started stealing my books so I’d be forced to pay attention to him.” Warner Bros. president Walter Hamada has also spoken about how the studio considered recasting Heard because of her perceived lack of chemistry with co-star Momoa. “You know it when you see it, and the chemistry just wasn’t there,” Hamada testified during the Heard-Depp trial. He also explained it took a lot of work "editorially" to make it seem like the two had romantic chemistry in the first movie. "There was a concern [that] it took a lot of effort to get there, and would we be better off recasting and finding someone who had more natural better chemistry with Jason Momoa and move forward with that.”
Jason Momoa fought to keep Amber Heard in 'Aquaman 2'
Despite the apparent lack of chemistry, it emerged in May 2022 that Momoa had fought to keep Heard in the second movie. As mentioned, the actress was embroiled in a defamation trial with her ex-husband. “Her world has been silent in terms of opportunities," one source claimed at the time. "Even things she wanted to work on are no longer available to her." Her co-star subsequently came to her rescue and was "adamant" she reprises her role in the sequel. The dissonance between them, however, was once again apparent during the production of the second instalment.
Producers recently conducted test screenings of 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' in several theaters, but they were reportedly a total disaster as people walked out of theaters. According to the Animated Times, the movie was also missing a lot of material but the production still has time to fix those shortcomings. There were reports that Ben Affleck’s Batman would make a special cameo in the movie, but that part was also taken out. It's worth noting that expectations for the second film are rather high considering the first Aquaman movie grossed $335.1 million in the United States and Canada and $813.4 million in other territories. It became the highest-grossing installment of the DCEU with a total worldwide gross of more than $1.1 billion.
