The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard was already something that captured the attention of the public in a way that felt like it could have been a movie. It’s not exactly shocking to see that such a movie is actually happening, but it is maybe a bit surprising to see it happen quite this fast. The verdict in the Depp/Heard case was just announced a couple months ago, and yet, the movie is almost here, and the trailer is just as nuts as you'd expect.
Everybody is apparently on drugs and suffering from mental illness, allegations are flying and being denied, and every voice is talking over every other. Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial is a pretty good title considering this movie is going to have to be a pretty hot take. The news is so fresh we don't really know what happened. With the verdicts currently under appeal, the case technically isn’t actually over yet, but streaming service Tubi decided not to wait. A film has been rushed into production and will be released at the end of the week. Check out the trailer above.
I suppose at first glance, the movie works visually. Both the actors playing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard look and sound enough like them to work for the purposes of the film. Beyond that, there will almost certainly be a lot of controversy surrounding how the movie portrays events, as there is controversy over the events themselves. We see sequences taking place in and out of court, so we likely will get the trial itself acting as a framing device for a series of flashbacks, based on events that were testified to at the trial.
Johnny Depp took his ex-wife Amber Heard to court after an op-ed was published in the Washington Post where Heard claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. Heard eventually countersued Depp as well claiming there was an orchestrated attempt to damage her career following her speaking out.
It will certainly be interesting to see what sort of an angle the movie takes. The verdict in the trial itself was in Johnny Depp’s favor, so the movie might decide to take his point of view. Alternatively, the story may attempt to play things more evenly and let the audience decide whether justice was truly served.
While this movie will likely end with a verdict, it might also leave the story open for a potential sequel, as the actual legal proceedings aren’t actually over yet. Both sides have appealed the verdicts against them, Depp was found guilty of defamation as well, but Heard was given a much smaller financial award. While the appeal will likely not make for quite as compelling television, it could theoretically drastically change the actual outcome of the case if an appeals court finds any significant fault with the original trial.
