Aquaman 2 Trailer Officially Confirms Amber Heard’s Return

CinemaCon attendees were treated to an exclusive viewing of the official trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and while the trailer has yet to be released online, some details about what it unveiled have emerged. Scheduled to hit theaters this winter after numerous delays, the film follows on from 2019’s Aquaman, and as it stands, it could end up serving as the final installment of the DCEU, now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are making their new plans for what’s being called the DCU. It will officially hit the big screen on December 20, 2023.

According people at CinemaCon, the trailer opens with a look at Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) “attacking the surface world with ship-destroying tentacles.” Black Manta is also said to wield a Black Trident during the attack, followed by a glimpse of the return of Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). The trailer is said to have “buddy-comedy vibes” by playing on the relationship between Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson).

“I’m supposed to be a king,” Aquaman told his father in the trailer. “To bring land and sea closer together. But now I feel the tide changing.”

Another moment sees Aquaman stating that “no one hits my brother but me”, while Orm tells him during another scene, “If you lead, Atlantis will follow”.

The trailer would end with a look at a battle between Aquaman and Black Manta, but not before the first official look at Amber Heardis back as Mera. This is said to be a brief snippet of footage, although it does reveal Mera wearing a “new white costume”. The appearance also makes it 100% official that Heard is in fact part of the film, despite the controversy associated with the actress due to her legal battle with Johnny Depp.

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Amber Heard stays in Aquaman 2

Rumors have swirled about how much screen time Heard will have in the film, and some have speculated that she will be removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom entirely because of the backlash. It should be noted that over 4.62 million people have signed a petition (found on Change.org) calling for its removal. Even so, one of the film’s producers had previously defended the decision to keep Heard in the film, suggesting that no backlash on the internet would result in his removal.

“Honestly, I don’t think we’ll ever react to pure fan pressure,” said producer Peter Safran, who now runs DC Studios with James Gunn. “You have to do what’s best for the movie. We thought if it was James Wan and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. It really is.”

He added: “We don’t ignore what’s going on in the Twitter verse, but that doesn’t mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes. You have to do what’s right for the movie, and that’s really where we landed on it.”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released in theaters on December 20, 2023.