Heard and Momoa worked together in the 2018 movie Aquaman before returning for the sequel

A Hollywood movie executive confirmed what many Aquaman fans had long suspected as he spoke out about the decision of whether or not to recast Amber Heard in the role of Mera.

Heard first took on the role of the DC Comics character in 2018, when she starred alongside Jason Momoa as he took the lead role of Arthur Curry.

The movie received middling reviews, earning a score of 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was enough to encourage creators to bring Momoa back for the 2023 sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Heard also returned to her role for the sequel, but her appearance was surrounded by speculation in relation to her famous defamation battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp, 61.

Speaking during the trial, Heard testified: “I fought hard to stay in the movie. They didn’t want to include me in the film. 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.”

“They basically took a bunch out of my role,” she added. “They just removed a bunch.”

Heard claimed Warner Bros. ‘removed a bunch’ of her scenes (Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

However, Walter Hamada, former president of DC Studios Walter Hamada, denied that Warner Bros. had purposefully cut Heard’s scenes from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and stated that her involvement had not been impacted by the lawsuit with Depp.

Instead, Hamada said Heard’s return was thrown into question due to an issue between her and Momoa.

He claimed: “They didn’t really have a lot of chemistry together. The reality is, it’s not uncommon in movies for two leads to not have chemistry.”

This ‘lack of chemistry’ is something Aquaman viewers seemed to pick up on, with some pointing it out on Twitter.

Heard starred as Mera in the movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)

One tweet reads: “Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom review: Amber Heard only has a few lines, the audience dislikes her and the tension/lack of chemistry between her and Jason Momoa translated to the screen.”

Hamada added during the trial that while a great on-screen relationship can be created through ‘movie magic and editorial’, it can take a ‘lot of effort to get there’.

In spite of any initial reservations, Heard did return to the movie, which was well received by fans with a score of 81 percent on Rotten Tomaotes’ ‘Popcornometer’. Critics, on the other hand, weren’t so impressed, and gave the movie a rating of just 34 percent.

Heard also reprised the role of Mera for Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021.