It's time for an even closer look at a trial that captured the nation's attention.
Over one year after Johnny Depp's defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard came to its conclusion, Netflix is reexamining the lawsuit and its cultural impact in the upcoming documentary Depp v. Heard.
And as the trailer, released July 27, makes clear, the documentary will go far beyond the courtroom and examine how the case took social media ablaze. In fact, the trailer shows a glimpse at the incessant coverage on the news and social media, noting how the attention ultimately shaped the trial.
"Depp was the one who wanted the cameras in the courtroom, she didn't," one person notes in a voice over, with another adding, "I would argue it's a PR campaign disguised as a defamation case."
Another sums up just how big the story became by saying, "This has moved away from a news story or a lawsuit and has transformed into a cultural moment."
In the description for the doc, Netflix echoes the sentiment referring to the case as the "first Trial by TikTok" due to its popularity on the platform and social media at large. In fact, the documentary promises to investigate how public opinion factored into the case and "questions the nature of truth and the role it plays in our modern society."
"And that leads us to the real question," a newscaster says at the end of the trailer. "What is the actual truth?"
The defamation trial took place in the spring of 2022. Johnny had filed a $50 million lawsuit against Amber—to whom he was married from 2015 to 2016—for libel over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post in which she, without naming him, said she was a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Amber, in turn, countersued for $100 million, arguing the Pirates of the Caribbean star damaged her career through an "ongoing harassment and online smear campaign" after Amber was granted a temporary restraining order.
Following the high-profile trial, last June a jury found the Aquaman actress liable for three counts of defamation and Johnny liable for one count. Johnny was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, which was later reduced from $5 million to $350,000 per the state of Virginia's legal limit. The jury also awarded Amber $2 million in compensatory damages for her countersuit.
On December 16, Amber announced that she'd "made a very difficult decision" to settle the defamation case. The actress paid a $1 million settlement to Johnny, who said at the time he would be donating the money to charities—which he revealed this past June.
Depp v. Heard will be available to stream starting August 16.