Long-Running Petition to Remove Amber Heard from Aquaman Sequel Reaches Over 3 Million Signatures

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A petition calling for the removal of Amber Heard from the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has reached over 3 million signatures.

The long-running petition, launched in 2020, has seen renewed interest amid Johnny Depp's ongoing defamation trial against his ex-wife.

Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 36, for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post about surviving domestic violence, though she never mentioned Depp by name in the article. The Fantastic Beasts actor originally filed the $50 million lawsuit in March 2019.

Heard played the role of Mera 2018's Aquaman, and reprises her role opposite Jason Momoa in the sequel.

The creator of the change.com petition writes that Heard has been "exposed as a as a domestic abuser by Johnny Depp," referencing Depp's lawsuit.

Heard has "systematically crusaded to ruin Depp in Hollywood, repeating multiple accounts of fake incidents in which she had actually abused Johnny Depp, but lied and created false accounts of him being the abuser," the petition reads.

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It calls out Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment directly, asking the companies to remove the actress from the upcoming Aquaman film, set to premiere next year. A rep for Warner Bros. didn't immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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During opening statements earlier this month, Heard's attorney Ben Rottenborn said evidence will show she suffered domestic abuse by Depp that "took many forms," including physical, emotional, verbal and psychological, as well as "sexual violence at the hands of Depp." A spokesperson for Depp denies the allegations, calling them "fictitious."

Heard has not yet taken the stand in this trial.

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Back in November 2020, Depp lost his highly publicized U.K. libel lawsuit case against British tabloid The Sun for calling him a "wife-beater." The court upheld the outlet's claims as being "substantially true" and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, Depp's attempt to overturn the decision was overruled.

After losing his libel case in 2020, Depp announced that he had agreed to step down from his role in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise.

Heard and Depp met while making 2011's The Rum Diary and later wed in February 2015. They broke up in May 2016, when Heard sought a domestic violence restraining order against Depp, accusing him of abusing her.

Depp denied the claims, and they settled their divorce out of court in August 2016 (it was finalized in January 2017).

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens March 17, 2023.