Aquaman 2 Director on Amber Heard’s Reduced Role: ‘This Was Always My Plan’

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan has spoken further about Amber Heard‘s reduced role in the movie.

While speaking with Empire Magazine, Wan noted that Heard’s claims of having her role pared down in the DC Studios sequel were “fair,” as he always envisioned it as an “outright buddy comedy” focused on Arthur Curry/Aquaman and his brother Orm/Ocean Master.

“It’s fair that [Heard] said that [about the character being pared down], because she wasn’t in my head as I was working on this movie,” Wan stated (via The Direct). “Actors don’t necessarily know what we [directors] behind the scenes are thinking about. But this was always my plan. From the start, I pitched that the first film would be a Romancing The Stone-type thing — an action-adventure romantic comedy — while the second would be an outright buddy comedy. I wanted to do Tango & Cash!”

Who is starring in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is once again directed by James Wan from a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The sequel features the return of Jason Momoa as he reprises the leading role of Arthur Curry/Aquaman. Joining him are various returning cast members, including Patrick Wilson as Orm, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Amber Heard as Mera, and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.

It will also feature the introduction of new cast members in Game of Thrones alum Pilou Asbæk, Indya Moore (Pose, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions), Vincent Regan (300, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), and Chinese-Portuguese actress Jani Zhao (Jogo Duplo, The Sugar Captains). Aquaman 2 is produced by Wan and frequent collaborator Peter Safran.