J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World and adaptations of DC Comics characters are Warner Bros.’ two biggest revenue streams by quite some distance, so much so that only four of the studio’s 20 highest-grossing movies ever don’t hail from either of those respective franchises, and three of those four are Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy.
The last thing the studio want, then, is for their biggest cash cows to become embroiled in controversy that could potentially affect box office takings, but that’s exactly what they’re going to have to deal with in 2022 when Fantastic Beasts 3 and Aquaman 2 arrive. The third installment in the Harry Potter prequel series was already facing an uphill battle after The Crimes of Grindelwald was a massive disappointment from both a critical and commercial standpoint, and things have only gotten worse as Rowling continues to find herself under fire for allegations of transphobia and the public firmly sided with Johnny Depp after he was forced to resign from the series.
James Wan’s Aquaman 2, meanwhile, looked to be in a better position after becoming the highest-grossing DC movie in history, but the presence of Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard as female lead Mera has been a source of anger for many. People are already calling for a boycott of the superhero sequel, and now the long-running petition to have the actress removed from the role is closing in on a million signatures.
Over 850,000 people so far have backed the idea of firing Heard from Aquaman 2, and you’d imagine that the executives at Warner Bros. must be keenly aware that they’re being accused of some serious double standards by booting Depp from his high-profile franchise role but not asking his ex-wife to amicably step down from hers.