Reported Friction Between James Wan And Amber Heard On The ‘Aquaman 2’ Set Led To Alleged Selfie Frustration And Cut Scenes

Jason Momoa’s second Aquaman outing might be in more trouble than we thought.

A recent investigative report from Variety details a toxic work environment on the set of the James Wan-directed sequel with most of the conflict centering around star Amber Heard’s legal dispute with ex-husband Johnny Depp. The two were embroiled in a very public defamation trial last year with Depp accusing Heard of damaging his reputation following a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post. Once the trial was over, Depp’s fans paid to have notes from Heard’s therapist — which were used as evidence of abuse by Depp during the hearings — released to the public. Those notes paint a grim picture of Heard’s experience working on Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom.

Along with accusations that Momoa showed up drunk to set and dressed as Depp, the notes reflect Heard detailing her strained relationship with Wan, who allegedly reprimanded her over the negative publicity surrounding her personal life.

“He raised his voice @ me — ‘I can’t even post about Aquaman’ — made it like it was my fault – I said ‘I’m sorry,'” the notes read. “Nobody could take selfies with me on set given blackout.”

While Wan has declined to comment on the situation, DC has pushed back, saying, “James is known for treating members of his cast and crew with the utmost respect and for fostering a positive, collaborative environment on set — the Aquaman films were no exception.” Still, according to Variety, Wan did try to get Heard fired from the film. When that didn’t happen — reportedly due to the interference of Elon Musk — the director cut some of Heard’s scenes. Her character, Mera, was supposed to feature in a fight scene with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta as well as a love scene with Momoa — both of which no longer appear in the movie’s final cut.

Heard’s lawyers reportedly tried to prevent the release of the therapy notes, and the actress has declined to comment on Variety‘s reporting.