Fox Entertainment's free streaming service, Tubi, is adapting the highly divisive defamation trial between ex-couple, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, into a movie in conjunction with MarVista Entertainment.
Here's what Adam Lewinson, Tubi's chief content officer, had to say about the project: Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial has 'Hot Take' in the title for a reason. With our partners at MarVista, this Tubi Original was fast-tracked into production to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer. The film will chronicle the disastrous relationship between Depp and Heard and culminate in the two-months trial which concluded on June 1 earlier this year. Depp filed the lawsuit against his ex-wife based on three statements she made in a Washington Post op-ed she wrote in 2018 where she portrayed herself as a domestic abuse victim at his hands. In return, Heard filed a countersuit where she also claimed defamation concerning three statements Depp's lawyer made about her, which were published in the British tabloid, Daily Mail.
The seven-person jury at the trial found Heard guilty of malicious defamation in the three statements Depp tendered. Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, the presiding judge reduced the $5 million charge for punitive damages to $350,000 in line with Virginia's statutory cap. Also, the jury awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages after determining that one of the three statements made by Depp's lawyer was defamatory.