Johnny Depp Won in Court, But That Only Gets Him So Far

The star, whose sizable online fan base marshaled favorable PR as a Virginia jury ruled against ex-wife Amber Heard, may try to cash in on the indie film market circuit Johnny Depp and Amber Heard spent the better part of their defamation trial slinging mud. (During the trial, DC Films president Walter Hamada claimed that Heard's role in the Aquaman sequel, hitting theaters in March 2023, was not reduced due to the trial but rather due to a lack of chemistry with star Jason Momoa.) As for the types of projects that could possibly employ Depp, several sources note that while a studio likely won't touch him, he will find opportunities in the independently financed movie space - the types of projects that see bygone or disgraced big-name stars (think Mel Gibson) show up to set for a couple of days and earn a base fee in the low millions. The movie was yanked from theaters one month before its release, shortly after Depp settled a lawsuit against his former business managers, avoiding another high-profile trial. "Because of the way the trial worked out, you saw a lot of dark sides to Johnny Depp," says Juda Engelmayer, a crisis management expert whose clients include Harvey Weinstein.