Many people were perplexed by Netflix’s choice to air a documentary on the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial after having witnessed it all live.
For six weeks last summer, millions watched judicial hearings revealing terrible abuse charges as the former couple’s trial was livestreamed for the entire world to witness.
Now, the streaming service has created a trailer in which it shares their perspective on what happened.
The documentary, titled Depp v Heard, will investigate the historic defamation case that attracted the world’s attention as “the first trial by TikTok” and will “examine the nature of truth and the role it plays in our current culture.”
For those who may have forgotten, the ex-couples were suing and counter-suing each other in an American court last year, with Johnny seeking $50 million in damages after his former wife defamed him in an essay in which she claimed herself as a victim of domestic abuse.
Meanwhile, Amber filed a counterclaim against her ex for $100million in damages, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating a ‘smear campaign’ against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of ‘abuse and harassment’.
During the trial, the broadcast received an astounding 83.9 million hours of viewing time, sparking a frenzy as people hurried to debate specifics on social media, while many also chimed in and often provided their thoughts on what was happening.
However, the decision to produce another documentary about the subject has split many.
Many people commented on the trailer shortly after it was published.
‘Do we really need to relive this,’ one person questioned.
‘Ahh yess because we literally didn’t just live through this,’ someone else shared.
Meanwhile another person questioned the need for it considering we had ‘seen this in real time’.
Another added: ‘I already watched the entire trial for FREE every day on YouTube. Netflix got no chill.’
‘Who the hell didn’t follow the entire trial live? Who is this for?,’ was another response.
Others, on the other hand, expressed a desire to relive the trial.
‘The fact that I have no life and watch this trial almost every day on YouTube. I am so ready for this,’ someone wrote.
‘Of course, I watched the trial, of course I’m going to watch this,’ another said.
According to an article about the new series on Netflix’s Tudum, Depp v. Heard has the ‘goal of presenting a neutral overview of what happens when the court of public opinion starts to overshadow reality’.
Several documentaries have been made about the subject since the trial.
On June 1, 2022, a seven-person jury returned a judgement in the Virginia trial, primarily in favour of Depp.
The actor was found not guilty on all three charges of defamation in relation to a 2018 op-ed. Heard wrote about coming out with domestic violence allegations, albeit she did not name him in the post.
He received $10.35 million in damages.
Heard was granted $2 million in damages after winning one of her three defamation counterclaims.
Depp v. Heard is streaming from August 16 on Netflix.
