A new report reveals that the set of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was filled with drama. Apparently, the internet’s favourite axe-wielding long-haired Hawaiian, Jason Momoa, was one of the root causes. Allegedly, he had made life difficult for his co-star, Amber Heard, during filming.
An explosive report by Variety details Momoa’s attempts to get his embattled co-star fired from the Aquaman sequel. The reports originated from documents from the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial which Reddit users obtained and published online. Momoa’s antics on set were detailed in notes by Heard’s therapist.
According to the reports, Momoa arrived on set drunk and late. The actor also dressed up as Heard’s former husband and tried to get her fired from the movie.
“Jason said he wanted me fired, ” the notes said. “Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too.”
According to the reports, Heard was nearly fired from the sequel but it wasn’t due to the legal drama with Depp. Heard reportedly lacked chemistry with Momoa, something that was mentioned during the defamation trial.
Heard was not fired from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, reportedly due to the intervention of former boyfriend, Elon Musk. According to the report, Musk had one of his lawyers send a “scorched-earth letter to Warner Bros. threatening to burn the house down.” Pressure from the tech billionaire ultimately caused Warner Bros to bring Heard back for the sequel.
However, a spokesperson for DC denied the allegations against Momoa, saying, “Jason Momoa conducted himself in a professional manner at all times on the set of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.'” Other sources also corroborated the statement, saying, “Jason works his ass off, likes to have a beer once in a while like everyone, but doesn’t show up drunk to set.
An insider who was present during the filming in London in 2021 revealed that the stars got along and were seen joking together. The insider adds, “And he isn’t dressing like Johnny Depp. He has always dressed in that bohemian style.”
Heard has declined to comment on the new revelations but a source close to the actress confirmed that the notes were referring to the set of Aquaman 2. The therapist session reportedly happened on December 27, 2021. A source also shared that Heard’s lawyers fought the release of the therapist notes which were subpoenaed by Depp’s legal team.
The therapist’s notes also revealed that Heard felt unsupported by director James Wan and was treated like an outsider because of the legal drama with her ex-husband.
“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 therapist notes about the director. “Nobody could take selfies with me on set given blackout.”
The director declined to comment on the report but was defended by the DC spokesperson. “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,” the spokesperson said.
We hope that the drama surrounding Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom generates some much needed publicity for the movie. DC Studios hopes to break a terrible string of blockbuster bombs which started just as James Gunn and Peter Safran took over from Walter Hamada.
Aquaman 2 certainly has the potential to be a billion-dollar blockbuster given the success of the first film. The original movie earned $1.15 billion back in 2018 and Warner Bros hopes that the sequel will do as well. Right now, the bar is set pretty low and even breaking even would be considered a success for DC.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is coming to theaters on December 20.
