Emilia Clarke has suddenly appeared among the listed cast members for Aquaman 2 on Google, leading to rumors that she’ll be the new Mera.

Photo: Diego de Sousa

Could it be that Emilia Clarke has joined the DCEU by replacing Amber Heard as Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? For a few years now, thanks in large part to the highly-public feud between Heard and ex-husband Johnny Depp, there has been a popular fan campaign for the role of Mera to be recast in the sequel. There has also been a viral petition demanding Heard’s removal from the film. More than 4.6 million names have since signed the petition, which you can find at Change.org, and those numbers are so high that we’ve got to imagine that Warner Bros. execs have at least considered the possibility of recasting the role via reshoots.
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There hasn’t been any indication at this time of Heard getting the boot, but heading into the weekend, new rumors have emerged that the recasting may have actually happened. This seems to stem from many fans noticing that when looking up the cast on Google for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Clarke’s name suddenly appears alongside Jason Momoa and the other confirmed stars of the film. This being the internet, this could just be a simple error, but there are some fans who believe that this is a hint that an official recasting announcement is coming.

Some fans are also taking this opportunity to plead their case to Warner Bros. to recast the role, if they haven’t done so. One fan of Clarke tweeted, “Tell you what WB. Release Aquaman with AH and release a version with Emilia Clarke as Mera, let’s see which one does better. I’d put money on the later doing the best!! And by best I mean absolutely blowing the AH version out the water (accidental pun!!)”

Meanwhile, some new fan art by Diego de Sousa has further sold some fans on the potential casting. One fan responded to the artwork, which is also going viral, by writing on Twitter, “Emilia Clarke is beautiful, she fits the role better for Aquaman, have better chemistry with Jason mamoa and doesn’t SH¥T on beds. That’s a plus.”

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Fans Have Been Campaigning for Emilia Clarke as Mera for Years

It’s nothing new for fans to ask for Emilia Clarke to play Mera in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. It’s a demand many have made for years, resulting in other pieces of fan art and petitions for the potential recasting to happen. Again, there hasn’t been anything official to suggest that Clarke will actually be in the movie, and a Google cast listing is certainly no confirmation, but as there have been recent reshoots to get Ben Affleck into the film, who’s to say the same couldn’t have happened with Clarke?

One reason why fans have settled on Clarke as the perfect replacement is that she has proven on-screen chemistry with Momoa. The two previously played a couple in Game of Thrones, and fans would like to see the actors reunite in a new project. But Clarke is not the only name that’s been put forth, as Blake Lively has also been a popular pick with fans to replace Amber Heard.

Time will tell if any recastings actually happen. As of now, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to be released on Dec. 25, 2023.