Amber Heard As Mera– Should WB Keep Her or Recast Mera or Cut the Character Altogether in Aquaman 2?

Desade is right though.

2 Likes

The only real difference is Depp’s team has cleverly been leaking info to smear Heard and at the same time has had evidence against him suppressed. I don’t know who is guilty, probably both. As Desade said studios have morals clauses and if she is guilty, she needs to go. Right now all we have is an orchestrated social media lynch mob.

4 Likes

Unfortunately that’s just how the online pendulum swings. It’s been against Depp for years and now its swung the other way around. Could swing back, who knows.

A lot of people don’t want to listen to both sides of the story. That’s how we get people like Chris Hardwick, Andy Signore and ProJared whose livelihood are ruined/almost ruined because their accuser aren’t completely honest or flat out lie about the situation.

This isn’t to say that Depp is completely innocent either but there seems to be gaps in Heard’s evidence of abuse even aside from the leaked audio.

Like the testimonies from last year where multiple witnesses who saw her around the time she shared photos of abuse on her face claimed she didn’t have any signs of abuse when they saw her.

2 Likes

Also, don’t forget that something like bruises can, with proper training, be created with make-up to look like real injuries.

I am not saying this is the case, however, it is not outside the realm of possibility. This is why everyone deserves their day in court.

Is it enough to have someone make a claim and have the person thrown in jail, just by the accusation? Is that the justice system we, as a society want? What happened to the idea of innocent until proven guilty?

If we are seeing social media “Lynch mobs” (which I’d argue that in some cases we are) is that what we want justice to be?

Depp & Heard are both examples that raise this question. What actual evidence is there that can stand up to cross examination?

6 Likes

Recast if needed but MERA HAS TO BE IN IT!

3 Likes

I really think she needs recasted. I listened to the recordings and read witnesses backing Depp up. She’s a sick human being who does not deserve celebrity. Specially with a character girls look up to as a role model

5 Likes

One thing I think is being overlooked: Amber Heard has been arrested for domestic violence before. Back in 2009, she was arrested in Washington for striking her then-partner Tasya Van Ree in an airport, but the charges were dropped because neither were residents of Washington State. When this came out during the abuse allegations, she claimed that the arrest was motivated by homophobia and misogyny, something that the arresting officer, one Beverly Leonard (who is openly gay), has vehemently refuted.
Now, we can literally hear her admit to striking Johnny Depp, and mocking him about it. While I don’t really know what happened, and I doubt that Johnny Depp is completely innocent, it nevertheless staggers the mind that someone who’s been arrested for domestic violence has been chosen as a spokesperson by multiple organizations (including the ACLU) to speak about domestic abuse.
As far as Aquaman goes, she did an okay job, but there are numerous actresses who could do just as good a job, if not better. If a tape of a man admitting to striking his wife, and then mocking her about it, was released, he’d be dropped with terrific alacrity, especially if he had an established history of domestic violence.

10 Likes

So if you are arrested of something, that automatically means you are guilty

Whatever happened to the man of tomorrow…damn…whatever happened to the presumption of innocence. That things actually have to be proved.

3 Likes

I don’t recall saying that. At all. I recall pointing out that she’s been arrested for domestic violence before, and accused an openly gay female police officer of arresting her for homophobic and sexist reasons.

I really don’t recall saying anything like what you claimed I said. You took my statement, converted it into an absurd absolute, and then mocked me for that absurd absolute. Are you trying to provoke a confrontation?

3 Likes

An arrest culminating with no charges, let alone no conviction, is something to be overlooked. To say it shouldn’t be overlooked is looking at it as some type of supporting evidence for some other, still alleged, crime.

The only thing I’m provoking a confrontation with is how this whole circumstance is going down without regard for due process of law.

You did also say this.

So what part about that “staggers your mind”?
She has never been convicted of domestic abuse. What is so staggering? In all honesty, I would like to know.

I’ll put in my $0.02 cents that maybe the ALCU asked her to be a spokesperson on the topic because they support due process of law.

1 Like

I’ll be honest, I don’t know or care enough about this controversy enough to have an opinion on whether or not Amber Heard should be replaced, but Mera’s a great character who should not be cast into oblivion with no explanation.

2 Likes

Somebody mentioned earlier that preliminary shooting is expected to start until early 2021. If that is the case and WB (as is their right) wants to cut ties and recast. I agree. Meta is to string and dynamic a part of Aquaman myths. She ain’t no damsel in distress plot device, as she was is days gone past. Thank goodness for that.

6 Likes

I don’t recall saying she was guilty. You keep taking it as a given that I did. I pointed out that, in addition to the fact that she can now be heard admitting to striking her then-husband, she has a previous incident of alleged domestic abuse behind her (one that was only dismissed because it was out-of-jurisdiction). The point is that it is not an isolated incident. Does that prove anything? Not in isolation. I never said that it did. But it does suggest a pattern. Pointing out that pattern is not a violation of due process. I’m not sure how that argument can be made that it is one.

Being a public spokesperson is all about appearances Do you really not see it as odd that someone who’s been arrested for domestic violence would then be asked to be a spokesperson on the topic of domestic violence? I’ll wager my two cents against yours that the ACLU asked her because her dispute with Johnny Depp made her a famous person who’d accused someone of abusing her, and for no other reason.

I brought up the fact that she has a previous domestic abuse incident, in addition to the recent evidence that has come out about her. Establishing a pattern is not a violation of due process. I never said that she was automatically guilty. You converted my statement into a ridiculous absolute, and then you mocked me for that ridiculous absolute. Can you really not see how doing that might be considered unnecessarily inflammatory?

4 Likes

I’m glad that you now state that she was arrested for alleged domestic abuse. Thank you.

That’s really been my point throughout this thread, the importance of everybody recognizing that so far these are alleged actions of domestic abuse. Not more, not less.

If standing up to remind everyone that there still is the right to due process of law and the presumption of innocence when it comes to criminal activity, which domestic abuse Is. If that is inflammatory (which I don’t see it as), I’m perfectly happy to be inflammatory all day, everyday.

Just as protecting the rights of free speech to those who’s opinions we directly oppose is important. Protecting the rights of due process for all is important as well.

3 Likes

I must confess to having a POV that is antithetical to that POV.

There is a history of recasting significant characters. This happened in soaps a lot. Usually the only announcement is in the first episode they appeared in with a voice over such as “Today the character of BLAH is played by BLAH-BLAH.”

We need only look to to Batman ‘66, in its 3rd season Eartha Kitt just took over the role of Catwoman, no explanation needed and a totally different look. Look at the 4 Batman movies Batman ‘89 & Batman Returns (Keaton) Batman & Robin (Clooney) Batman Forever (Kilmer). There was never any mention in the movie of the recasting of Batman (the lead character) done in any of those movies.

I can’t agree that this recasting is unprofessional behavior and needs a short segment in the movie or a nod or replacing with a similar looking actress. It is not a standard “thing” in Hollywood, and with a major character, such as Mera, that change would be handled in the pre-release mktg of that movie anyway. Ok, Mera is canonically a redhead, so the new actress should probably also have red hair, but beyond that, I don’t see a reason for any segment, nod, or requirement for a similar looking actress.

3 Likes

Recast her.

I am not on team cancel if it later turns out that someone involved is a terrible person. A lot of people are involved in a film that shouldn’t be punished.

But I also see no point in putting a terrible person in the movie knowingly.

There’s no reason not to recast here. I don’t see the DCEU going somewhere with meaningful contuinuity now anyways.

3 Likes

Keep her. I dont really care about personal lives as I wasnt there so I dont know the truth. What I do know, is she played a good Mera.

2 Likes

I really look forward to Christopher Plummer’s performance as Mera.

9 Likes

Oh, Aquaman!

image

4 Likes

I don’t know if he’ll go to all that effort. He didn’t bother to grow a 'stache when he filled in for David Niven in The Return of the Pink Panther

2 Likes