The bitter divorce and messy legal battles of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are set to be the subject of an upcoming two-part documentary on Discovery.
Produced by Optomen, Johnny vs Amber will focus on the breakdown of Depp and Heard’s relationship, featuring interviews with lawyers from both sides and testimony from those close to the former couple. Extensive footage and audio recordings filmed by the pair themselves will also be examined in detail. It is scheduled to premiere on Discovery+ this fall.
Heard filed for divorce in 2016 after alleging that Depp had been abusive throughout their relationship. Depp would later file a defamation suit against Heard and The Sun newspaper in a related libel suit. This resulted in an intense legal battle that saw the U.K.’s High Court of Justice rule that Depp had lost the case and that most of Heard’s claims had been proven to a civil standard.
“The series provides an in-depth insight into the epic battle that powered #JusticeforJohnnyDepp and #IStandWithYouAmberHeard fan campaigns and the very public High Court case that gripped us all,” said Clare Laycock, senior VP for planning and insights and head of entertainment at Discovery. “Optomen has done a fantastic job turning this multi-layered story into something both engrossing and horrifying.”
Charlotte Reid, VP commissioning for entertainment at Discovery, added: “The story of what happened between Johnny and Amber continues to be hugely divisive… We set out to make a documentary that would explore the story from each of their perspectives, so the viewer can go beyond the headlines, understand who they are, and decide who they should believe in this complex human story.
Nick Hornby and Frank Baker are on board as executive producers for Optomen, with Matt Reid exec producing for Discovery.
“Through the tapes, home videos and text messages shown in court, these films give viewers a rare and important insight into a marriage that went tragically wrong, and to better understand the hugely important issue of domestic violence,” stated Hornby, co-CEO at Optomen.
Johnny vs Amber, TBA, Discovery+
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