Depp V Heard is the new Channel 4 series that is set to ask the question of whether a jury can truly be fair in the age of social media, especially when it comes to a high-profile case, such as the legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.
The former Pirates of the Caribbean star sued his ex-wife for defamation linked to an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, entitled 'I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our culture's wrath'. Depp brought the case against Heard for $50million, and she counter-sued, claiming that statements made by his lawyer Adam Waldman on his behalf lost her work for $100million.
The jury unanimously agreed that Heard libelled her ex-husband by writing the opinion piece and that she did so, knowing that it could have a negative impact on his career.
The court case between the two exes dominated social media, news headlines and household conversations for six weeks while the trial ran in Virginia last year, and even to this very day, drives heated conversations on gender, influence, and, of course, the real-world impact of discussions in the online space.
The three-part series Depp V Heard will explore the notorious defamation trial that fascinated audiences across the globe and the elements it took for the court case to be the first to go "TikTok viral".
So what else do you need to know about Depp v Heard? Read ahead to find out more:
What will Depp V Heard be about?
The main focus of the series, which is directed by BAFTA-nominated Emma Cooper, will be the impact the global media event had on issues such as gender, violence, and justice in the online space and the real world.
A synopsis by Channel 4 reads: "The trial of Depp v Heard, in which both parties accused each other of domestic abuse, was a global media event and dubbed "the first TikTok trial". It raised huge questions about violence, gender and the memeifcation of justice in the era of post-truth.
"The series, made by Bitachon365 and co-producer Empress Films, places Depp and Heard's testimonies side by side for the first time, bringing together courtroom footage, news sources, existing interview footage and User Generated Content from various social media platforms to explore some of the extraordinary moments of the trial and the impact this had on public opinion at the time."
In particular, the first episode will see the warring couple talk about the early days of the romance before the focus moves to the infamous 'Amber t*rd' incident, which led to an increasingly hostile and aggressive reaction to Amber in the press.
How was social media divided during Amber and Johnny's six-week trial?
People across the globe immediately took sides when the case came to court, with the majority rooting for Hollywood actor Johnny. It was interesting to see how the pair were treated by those on social media, with Johnny being lauded for being "down to earth" and "lovable" for eating sweets in court. In contrast, Amber was given the villain edit, as videos of her fighting back the tears during her testimonies were at the centre of negative tweets and mocking TikToks.
The impact social media had during the case appeared to blur the lines of what actually transpired in the relationship between Depp and Heard and what was sensationalised for clicks and views in the online space.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is officially on the way.
Amber, herself labelled the social media discourse surrounding her and Johnny's defamation trial as unfair in an interview with NBC's Savannah Guthrie.
"Even somebody who is sure I'm deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I'm lying, you still couldn't look me in the eye and tell me that you think on social media there's been a fair representation. You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair," she said.
The significant sway of the public in favour of Johnny, as well as the viral TikToks and humorous comedy sketches, served to dehumanise and trivialise what was a painful situation no matter whose side you were on, and it also played a part in other women reliving their own trauma according to their perception of what Heard endured.
How did Amber and Johnny's court case end?
Amber was instructed to award Depp $10m (£8.4m) in compensatory damages and $5m (£4.2m) in punitive damages. However, she was found to have a partial win in her case and was awarded $2m (£1.6m) in compensatory damages but no punitive damages.
Both Amber and Johnny appealed against the verdict but managed to settle the case by the end of the last year.
When will Depp Vs Heard be released?
Depp Vs Heard will premiere on Channel 4 on 9 pm. The next instalments will be available on the channel on the following Monday and Tuesday at 10pm.
