The Latest Aquaman 2 Drama Suggests A Chaotic Set, Near-Firings, And A Deranged Letter From Elon Musk
It sounds like there's once again trouble brewing in DC-land. For the last decade, Warner Bros.' golden goose franchise has basically been forced to operate under the principle of Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. From the drama and real-life tragedy surrounding director Zack Snyder's exit from the DC Universe to a string of notable flops and critical disappointments to the most recent course-correction that brought James Gunn and Peter Safran on board to steer this semi-rebooted ship, fans have hardly gone a minute without a fresh wave of poor publicity and dire headlines about the state of the franchise. Well, buckle up because there's now even more chaos to be added to the pile.
In an explosive development, Variety reports new allegations of stormy behavior on the set of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," details of near-firings, and the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk, of all people. The upcoming and oft-delayed blockbuster is already facing an uphill battle in terms of its place in the largely-defunct "Snyder-verse," persistent rumors of extensive reshoots, and the ongoing controversy surrounding co-star Amber Heard, who's been mired in a messy public divorce and defamation trial with actor Johnny Depp. Now, that court battle has once again leaked into the production as documents subpoenaed by Depp's lawyers have been released to the public, in the form of notes written by Heard's personal therapist. (Adding a whole new layer of complications, the report details that Depp fans banded together to pay the court fees to have such documents released, despite Heard's wishes to keep them private.)
According to the notes, Heard alleged that star Jason Momoa arrived on set late and under the influence of alcohol, director James Wan blamed her for the media circus, and more unsavory details.
Dysfunction on set?
Despite the studio's best efforts to generate hype for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," the situation surrounding the big-budget sequel is going from bad to worse. In a new report, allegations in the form of therapist notes suggest a production beset by highly unprofessional behavior by an unsupportive co-star and director. According to the notes, Heard claimed that Jason Momoa expressed to her that he wanted her fired from her role as Aquaman's lover Mera and even arrived on set drunk while purposefully wearing clothing meant to remind her of Johnny Depp. Elsewhere, she alleged that director James Wan had "raised his voice" at her and blamed her for his difficulty in promoting the sequel to fans without distraction. Variety notes that a DC spokesperson pushed back on both allegations, maintaining that Momoa "conducted himself in a professional manner at all times" and Wan fostered "a positive, collaborative environment on set."
Meanwhile, the report goes on to back up Heard's previous claims that her role was reduced and that the Depp scandal nearly cost her job. As far back as when "Aquaman" first released in 2018, Variety reveals that Wan and Warner Bros. informed Heard's lawyer of their intentions to fire her and move on without her in future appearances, apparently out of concerns of her lack of chemistry with Momoa — not, as alleged, because of the Heard/Depp trial or at Momoa's behest. However, it appears Heard's then-boyfriend Elon Musk (who's found himself in the headlines for very different and even more damaging reasons lately) stepped in and sent a "scorched-earth letter to Warner Bros. threatening to burn the house down" should they move forward with that decision.
Clearly, Warner Bros. backed off and instead had the sequel highlight the Aquaman/Orm dynamic rather than Heard's Mera.
A complicated situation
Of course, it's worth taking a measured perspective on this entire saga, which far outweighs matters of comic book movies and the direction of the franchise. First, it's important to note that therapy sessions are conducted with privacy in mind and that Heard had every right to express her feelings to a trusted therapist. There's a world of difference between making official accusations through the proper channels and simply venting about tough days on set and her feelings of being unsupported by the cast and crew. The disturbing detail in the Variety article that Depp fans actually funded the release of the therapist notes in the first place only further muddies the waters, as one can only assume they did so in an effort to discredit Heard.
As far as how this development affects the release of "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" and the DC Universe overall, that remains unclear. The ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike means that, at present, neither Heard nor Momoa will be able to promote the film themselves and open themselves up to all sorts of uncomfortable, awkward questions regarding their dynamic on set. Should the strike resolve sometime soon, however, Warner Bros. will likely have to address this one way or another — much like how they resorted to keeping controversial star Ezra Miller out of the spotlight during promotion of "The Flash." Time will tell if "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" can avoid the same box office fate as that notorious flop, or if moviegoers will ignore all this drama and turn out for the sequel to a wildly-successful superhero movie when it releases on December 20, 2023.
Note: /Film has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery for comment and will update this article accordingly.