ABC Audio has confirmed that the headline-making defamation trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, has been made into an original movie for the Fox-owned Tubi streaming platform.
Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial will star Mark Hapka as Depp and Megan Davis as Heard. It’s slated to debut Friday, September 30.
Station 19 star Melissa Marty will play Depp’s tenacious — and ultimately victorious — lawyer Camille Vasquez; Law & Order True Crime‘s Mary Carrig joins for the defense as Heard’s attorney Elaine Bredehoft.
“‘Hot Take‘ [is] in the title for a reason,” explained Adam Lewinson, chief content officer at Tubi, in the announcement. “With our partners at MarVista, this Tubi Original was fast-tracked into production to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer.”
In June, a Virginia jury agreed with the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s legal team that there was “clear and convincing evidence” Heard had defamed him in a Washington Post op-ed in which she described being the victim of domestic and sexual abuse without naming him.
Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the latter was capped to $350,000 due to Virginia law.
Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages for statements made by Depp’s former attorney, but was awarded no punitive damages.
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