A petition to axe Amber Heard from the “Aquaman” sequel is reaching record numbers.
The change.org petition is nearing its goal of 4.5 million signatures. If that’s reached, it will be one of the site’s top petitions. It was created by Jeanne Larson and is directed towards DC Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment.
“As Amber Heard is a known and proven domestic abuser, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment should and must remove Heard from their “Aquaman 2″ film project,” Larson wrote on the website. “They must not ignore the suffering of Heard’s victims, and must not glamorize a domestic abuser. “
Heard’s appearance in the film was significantly reduced. The matter was brought up during the trial. The actress and her publicist believed the reduction was due to bad press surrounding the trial. However, according to testimony from Walter Hamada, President of DC Films at Warner Bros, Heard’s lack of chemistry with the movie’s lead, Jason Momoa, was to blame.
“It’s like what makes a movie star a movie star. You know it when you see it. And the chemistry wasn’t there,” Hamada testified.
A jury awarded Johnny Depp more than $10 million in his libel lawsuit against Heard, vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.
The jury also found Heard was defamed by a lawyer for Depp, when he called her abuse allegations a hoax. The jury awarded her $2 million in damages.
The verdicts bring an end to a televised trial that Depp had hoped would help restore his reputation, though it turned into a spectacle of a vicious marriage. Throughout the trial, fans — overwhelmingly on Depp’s side — lined up overnight for coveted courtroom seats. Spectators who couldn’t get in gathered on the street to cheer Depp and jeer Heard whenever they appeared outside.
On May 13, the petition racked up four million signatures, a big jump from when the petition had two million signatures on May 1st.
The petition currently sits at 4.4 million.