It's Controversial/ Aquaman director reveals why he reduced Amber Heard's role in the sequel: She wasn’t in my head

James Wan is gearing up for release of his upcoming directorial Aquaman and Lost Kingdom, starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard. During an interview with Empire Magazine, director opened up about reducing Heard's role as Mera in upcoming sequel. He revealed that she wasn't in his mind when he was working on DC sequel. This has come after actress accused director of reducing her screen time owing to her legal battle with her ex-husband Johnny Depp.

James Wan on Amber Heard's screentime in film

Speaking to portal, he revealed that it was an unintentional decision as he had planned for sequel keeping in mind main characters Arthur Curry (played by Jason Momoa) and his half-bror, Orm (played by Patrick Wilson). He wanted to focus on relationship between Arthur Curry and Orm.

He said, “It’s fair that [Heard] said that [about character being pared down], because she wasn’t in my head as I was working on this movie. Actors don’t necessarily kw what we [directors] behind scenes are thinking about." He added, "But this was always my plan, from start, I pitched that first film would be a Romancing Stone-type thing — an action-adventure romantic comedy — while second would be an outright buddy comedy. I wanted to do Tango & Cash!"

What Amber Heard had to say about her less screentime in Aquaman 2?

In 2022, actress claimed that her role as Mera in Aquaman 2 was "pared down" due to her n-ongoing legal battle against Johnny Depp. She testified in court that she had to “fight really hard” to keep her career. She continued, "I lost opportunities. I got dropped from jobs and campaigns." For Aquaman 2, she added that studio Warner Bros. didn't want to include her and took a bunch out of her role.

film is scheduled to hit atres in United States on December 20, 2023.