Netflix has dropped the trailer of a new Depp vs Heard documentary which explores the highly publicised defamation case involving actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and how the social media hype around it may have influenced the outcome.
Titled Depp v. Heard, the much-awaited documentary is not the first of its kind on the high-profile case; there are at least three that revolve around it. In September 2022, American streaming platform Tubi released an original movie titled Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial.
All about Depp v. Heard and the case it is about
What happened in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial?
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard split in 2016 and ended their marriage in 2017. A year later, Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post where she described domestic violence she suffered. The article didn’t mention Depp by name, but the actor received negative press and setbacks to his career as studios dropped him from major projects.
Depp sued for USD 50 million in damages. Heard filed a counterclaim for USD 100 million.
A trial was held at Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, which allowed cameras in the courtroom. This, in turn, allowed the world to see every detail of the trial.
On 1 June 2022, the jury unanimously held Heard liable on three counts of defamation. Depp, the actor was awarded USD 10 million in compensation for damages and another USD 5 million (later reduced to USD 350,000) in punitive damages.
The jury also found Depp liable in one of the three counts of counterclaims that Heard brought against him. Thus, Heard was awarded USD 2 million in compensatory damages.
On 16 December 2022, Heard revealed that she had settled the case with Depp for USD 1 million. She said it was a “very difficult decision.” In June 2023, Depp confirmed that he was donating the entire USD 1 million to charity.
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What is Netflix documentary Depp v. Heard going to show?
Depp v. Heard is a three-part documentary directed by BAFTA-nominated Emma Cooper. The documentary centres on the extensive social media frenzy around the case, so much so that it got dubbed the ‘TikTok trial’ in the press.
Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix, said that the documentary “interrogates the role social media played in the trial, raising provocative, uncomfortable questions about how the conversations happening outside the courtroom may have influenced the outcome.”
Using 200 hours of live-streamed trial coverage from the mainstream media and citizen commentators on social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitter, the documentary presents the two actors’ testimonies side-by-side.
“Depp was the one who wanted the cameras in the courtroom, she didn’t,” a voicer over in the trailer goes.
“I would argue it’s a PR campaign disguised as a defamation case,” another voice is heard.
The trailer ends with a newscaster saying, “And that leads us to the real question: What is the actual truth?”
Depp v. Heard is set to premiere on Netflix on 16 August.
Watch the Depp vs Heard Netflix documentary here.
Hero and Featured images: Courtesy of Netflix
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
