Though Warner Bros. is yet to speak on Amber Heard’s controversial appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the uncertainty hasn’t stopped fans from manifesting her removal from the sequel. As the Change.org petition to dismiss Heard surpassed 4.3 million signatures last week, Johnny Depp fans are now searching for the next Queen Mera to replace the actress in question.
One name that has popped up as a potential recast is Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke. Portraying Daenerys Targaryen on all eight seasons of the groundbreaking series, fans have recommended Clarke due to her on-screen chemistry with Jason Momoa—who played Khal Drogo on the show. The fact that Heard’s agent has testified the actress’s role in Aquaman 2 was reduced because of “the lack of chemistry between her and Jason” further fuels this discourse. Heck, people have even reimagined the star as Queen Mera in fan arts:
While Dakota Johnson, Deborah Ann Woll and Sophie Turner are also fan favourites for the role, the top contender is none other than Hollywood’s “genuine movie star,” Blake Lively. Once again, the artwork proving just how easily the star could slip into the role of Mera can’t be missed out on:
A Change.org petition addressed to Warner Bros. justifies the preferences for Lively as: “After the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and all the negative ‘energy’ around the latest, and since Blake Lively is a much likeable actress and human being.”
A top comment under the petition reads, “Amber Heard is a vile person, and should not be privileged to portray a beloved female hero. Blake Lively is a lovely and kind person, with far greater acting talent. She is the kind of person who should portray a hero. She’s someone young girls can look up to, and should aspire to be like.” Another person wrote, “Blake Lively is a treasure, and an A grade actor. Heard is a disgrace to all the women who have been through domestic violence.”
Now, Lively is no stranger to superhero movies. In fact, after starring as Carol Ferris in 2011’s Green Lantern, the actress has been preached as the perfect cast to play Emma Frost, Invisible Woman and even Lady Deadpool. When it comes to replacing Heard as Queen Mera, however, fans highlighted how Warner Bros. is notorious in terms of listening to their fanbase. “Do not expect anything from them,” one fan warned. At the same time, the petition hopes the studio will eventually change its mind about dropping the actress from the second instalment of Aquaman.
As Aquaman 2 hopes to recreate the success of its first instalment—which became a box office sensation grossing over $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing DC film of all time—it has been pushed to 2023 and already completed its filming. Carrying out reshoots to feature a new actress would therefore be very costly for the studio.
Given these factors, some believe Heard’s role should be limited in the sequel as much as possible. “I feel Blake can do a great job too for the role and fits it nicely as well. I think Amber should be limited maximally from the upcoming sequel and removed from any future parts of Aquaman [plus] any other films due to all she has done against Depp,” a fan admitted under the petition.
With 3,247 signatures and counting, the petition currently aims to hit 5,000 supporters for it to gain more traction.
