Discovery+ U.K. has landed two of the most high-profile legal figures involved in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial for its next docuseries about the court battles between the former married couple.
Camille Vasquez and Benjamin G. Chew, who represented Depp, are set to appear in the second series of Johnny vs. Amber, which will feature extensive testimonies and interviews with the lawyers, alongside representatives from Heard’s side.
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Commissioned by Discovery+ U.K. and announced late last month, the two-part doc series is a follow-up to the first Johnny vs. Amber, which explored Depp’s 2020 defamation trial in the U.K. High Court. This time, the focus will be on the recent defamation trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, which eventually would award Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages from Heard (the latter reduced to the max of $350,000, per state law). Looking at extensive evidence and the testimonies of both parties, each episode will present one side of the argument through legal teams, friends, family and key witnesses.
Also unveiled as part of Discovery+’s vs. format are Coleen vs. Rebekah and Britney vs. Jamie. Coleen vs Rebekah will focus on the recent U.K. court battle between high-profile soccer players’ wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, which became known as the “Wagatha Christie Trial” in the British press and arose after Rooney publicly accused Vardy of leaking stories about her to the tabloids. Britney vs Jamie, meanwhile, will look at the suspension of the highly controversial, 13-year conservatorship held by Jamie Spears over his daughter Britney Spears, examining the truth behind the headlines, accusations and a very public family feud.
“When we commissioned Johnny vs. Amber for Discovery+, we knew that we were tackling a very sensitive case but one with huge global profile and interest that would resonate with our audience,” said Clare Laycock, senior vp planning and insights, head of Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery UK. “Since it premiered in December last year, Johnny vs. Amber has been one of the most successful unscripted discovery+ Originals, currently the number 1 acquisition driver in the UK as well topping engagement figures and traveling globally across the US, EMEA and our wider international markets.”
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