It was the first-ever major court proceeding covered by TikTok, and now, Netflix is giving us a bingeable version of Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard’s defamation trial with a brand new docuseries.
In lieu of what the people have actually been demanding from the streaming giant — like Mindhunter season 3 and just a few more episodes of The Santa Clarita Diet — this three-part affair will arrive on the scene to examine what happens when “the court of public opinion overshadows reality”.
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“For the first time, the three-part series presents Depp and Heard’s testimony side-by-side, using 200 hours of live-streamed trial coverage from the mainstream news and citizen commentators on TikTok and Twitter,” notes the official description.
“Ultimately, Depp v. Heard 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.”
“Depp was the one who wanted the cameras in the courtroom… she didn’t,” an unidentified voice in the trailer above revealed, before adding: “I would argue it’s a PR campaign disguised as a defamation case.”
As the vast majority of you may recall (whether by choice or through cultural osmosis), at the conclusion of the “six-week frenzy” informed by an unnecessary level of media coverage and public speculation/interest, the court would rule in the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s favour on all three counts of defamation concerning the 2018 Washington Post op-ed Heard penned alleging domestic abuse.
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Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages as well as a historic contract renewal with Dior in the aftermath; while Heard was awarded $2 million in damages for one of her three defamation counterclaims.
Netflix’s Depp v. Heard, which has been directed by Emma Cooper (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes), premieres on August 16th — check out the trailer above.
