A complete timeline of Amber Heard's involvement in 'Aquaman 2'

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is now playing in theaters, and Amber Heard only appears for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Heard played Mera, Aquaman’s love interest in 2017’s “Justice League” and 2018’s “Aquaman.” The latter, starring Jason Momoa as the titular hero, grossed more than $1.1 billion at the box office, making it the best-performing DC Extended Universe movie at theaters.

While it may have seemed natural for Heard to feature prominently in “Lost Kingdom,” Heard has said her role was heavily “pared down” from an early script draft.

Heard’s team suggested her role was minimized as a result of her legal battles with former husband Johnny Depp who has had a long-standing relationship with the studio. Warner Bros. has said otherwise, maintaining Heard was never a focal point of the sequel, though there were considerations to recast Mera due to a lack of chemistry with Momoa.

Here’s everything that’s been said about Heard’s role in the sequel.

February 2019: Warner Bros. announces ‘Aquaman 2’

Warner Bros. announced the sequel, starring Momoa, for a December 2022 release before eventual delays.

March 2019: A Change.org petition is created, asking for Heard’s removal from ‘Aquaman 2’Amber Heard, director James Wan, and Jason Momoa are seen on the set of “Aquaman.” Warner Bros.

In March 2019, Depp filed a lawsuit against Heard accusing her of defaming him in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a victim of domestic violence.

Soon after, a Change.org petition emerged, asking Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment to remove Heard from “Aquaman 2.”

Heard later accused Depp of orchestrating “a false and defamatory smear campaign” against her, claiming that the actor “initiated, coordinated, overseen, and/or supported and amplified” two Change.org petitions, including the “Aquaman” one. Depp’s lawyers called Heard’s accusations “utterly baseless.”

November 12, 2020: The Change.org petition crosses 1 million signatures after Depp is asked to resign from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchiseJohnny Depp and Amber Heard. John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images

The petition grew in popularity after Depp stepped down from a leading role in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise in early November 2020, writing in a statement that he was “asked to resign by Warner Bros.”

Depp’s departure from the “Harry Potter” spinoff franchise came days after losing a libel case against the publishers of the UK newspaper The Sun, which described him as a “wife-beater” in an article. Depp has repeatedly denied any domestic violence allegations against him in connection with Heard.

The petition currently has over 4.2 million signatures.

AdvertisementNovember 12, 2020: Heard shoots down rumors she may not return for ‘Aquaman 2’Amber Heard. Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium

“I’m super excited about the amount of fan love and the amount of fan appreciation that ‘Aquaman’ has acquired and that it has garnered so much excitement for Aquaman and Mera that it means we’ll be coming back,” Heard said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.

Addressing the online petitions asking for her removal from the sequel, Heard said, “Paid rumors and paid campaigns on social media don’t dictate [casting decisions] because they have no basis in reality.”

July 2021: ‘Aquaman 2’ producer Peter Safran says fan pressure wouldn’t affect Heard’s role in the sequelPatrick Wilson, Peter Safran, and Yahya Abdul Mateen II at an “Aquaman” event. George Pimentel/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Canada

While appearing on Deadline’s “Hero Nation” podcast, Safran said online discourse wouldn’t impact Heard’s participation in “Aquaman 2.”

“I don’t think that we’re ever going to react to, honestly, to just pure fan pressure,” Safran said.

“One is not unaware of what’s going on in the Twitterverse, but that doesn’t mean that you have to react to it or take it as gospel or, you know, or accede to their wishes,” Safran added. “You have to do what you feel is right for the film, and that’s really where we landed on it.”

August 2021: Heard shares a photo of herself on the set of ‘Aquaman 2’

“Another day at the office,” Heard captioned the Instagram photo.

Filming began in June 2021, and ran through mid-January 2022.

The movie was originally supposed to be released in December 2022.

AdvertisementMay 16, 2022: Heard says she fought to appear in the sequel and was ultimately given a ‘pared-down’ roleAmber Heard testifies in a courtroom in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 16, 2022. Steve Helber/Pool via REUTERS

During Heard’s defamation trial against her former husband, Johnny Depp, she testified about her struggle to stay in the upcoming sequel, accusing Warner Bros. of wanting to cut her role entirely.

“I fought really hard to stay in the movie — they didn’t want to include me in the film,” Heard said while on the stand.

When asked if she filmed her part for the sequel, Heard said she performed “a very pared-down version of that role.”

“I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it that depicted my character and another character — without giving any spoilers away — two characters fighting with one another,” she added. “They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out.”

AdvertisementMay 17, 2022: Heard says she isn’t sure if she is in the final cut of ‘Aquaman 2’Amber Heard in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse. Brendan Smialowski/Pool via REUTERS

While on the stand the following day, Heard said she wasn’t sure if she would even appear in the movie.

“They released me from my contract. I fought to stay in it and they kept me in it,” Heard said.

When asked about the status of her role, she said, “I don’t know if I will even be in the final cut or how much I will be. It was difficult to stay in the movie.”

According to documents reviewed by Business Insider, Heard filmed scenes for the “Aquaman” sequel between July 15, 2021 and November 16, 2021.

AdvertisementMay 19, 2022: Heard’s agent says Warner Bros. wanted to recast her in the sequel

In a prerecorded deposition, Jessica Kovacevic testified that Warner Bros. wanted to recast her client at one point over a lack of chemistry with Momoa.

Kovacevic said Heard noticed her role was smaller when she was sent the script.

May 23, 2022: Entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold testifies that Heard’s role was largely reduced to being in a hospitalAmber Heard in “Aquaman.” Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures& © DC Comics

Arnold testified that Heard’s role was “diminished” in the sequel after Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman, called Heard’s domestic abuse allegations in the Washington Post a “hoax.”

Arnold said that when Heard read the first “Aquaman 2” script draft, she was featured prominently with a “strong romantic arc” and action scenes. She described her role in a subsequent script as being dramatically pared down with Heard’s character sidelined in a hospital bed for the film’s majority.