After myriad delays and release date changes, “Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” surfs into theaters this December. And James Wan‘s sequel marks the final film of the DCEU before new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran start their DCU rebrand. Will Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman be part of the franchise’s clean slate? He wasn’t in any of the titles Gunn announced earlier this year, but it’s entirely possible, especially since 2018’s “Aquaman” is the most lucrative DC movie to date.
But Aquaman’s presence in the DCU also hinges on whether or not Wan’s latest succeeds at the box office. And it’s difficult to say right now if it will, despite its predecessor’s massive box office returns. There are a lot of factors in play beyond DC’s brand restructuring like actress Amber Heard‘s highly publicized trial last year (which may or may not have diminished her role in the sequel). And there’s the negative press about Wan’s extensive reshoots for “The Lost Kingdom,” too, which many speculate may be due to Gunn’s intervening with the film. So did Gunn and Safran’s takeover significantly affect Wan’s “Aquaman” follow-up or not?
EW reports that while Wan doesn’t deny that Gunn “weighed in” on “The Last Kingdom,” the movie remains very much his vision of the superhero. “I’ve known James since way back, right?” said the director. “We’re horror guys, and so I’m definitely open to ideas. But, at the end of the day, this is my movie.” But Wan also said the creative shifts within DC indirectly affect his production. “Obviously, I have to be mindful,” Wan continued. “If I’m living in a house, and the house is getting renovated around me, it’s hard for me to not take notice, because the roof, the ceiling’s missing, right? But the beauty of this movie, this “Aquaman” world, is that, very early on, we always said that we are our own separate universe. My goal was always: If we could spin off a Seven Kingdoms universe, that would be my ideal dream. So, what we do, ultimately, doesn’t get affected by all that stuff, all that noise.”
But where does that leave the “Aquaman” franchise? Does it have a future in the DCU? “Oh, buddy, I don’t know,” Wan mused. “This film has taken up so, so much of my life, so much of my time, all I can think about now is taking a long break.” But Wan foresees a specific arc for Momoa’s Arthur Curry if a trilogy manifests in the DCU. “What I like between this one and the first one is, you really do see the growth of Arthur,” Wan said about his superhero. “He starts off as this kind of wanderer, and in the second one he finally has more of a direction of what he wants to do with his life. If and when there is a third one, that’s what it should be; it should be growing these characters because I think we’ve set up certain things in a good place in the second movie that you can definitely draw upon in a third. I don’t have any stories, but growing the characters is the biggest thing that I think the next “Aquaman” movie should be about.”
Gunn has already confirmed that any DC movies not connected with his and Safran’s new cinematic universe will be standalone “Elseworlds” titles, much like Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman.” So if Aquaman does show up in the DCU, it will likely be in a movie that doesn’t connect to the world the new DC Studio heads are developing. But again, the success (or failure) of “The Lost Kingdom” cements Aquaman’s future. If it’s another box office juggernaut, it’s a safe put Momoa’s Arthur Curry gets another film. If it’s another clunker for DC and Warner Bros., expect the studio to put the kibosh on another “Aquaman” film.
“Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom” hits theaters everywhere on December 20. And speaking of Batman, will the Caped Crusader show up in Wan’s sequel, and which one will it be — Ben Affleck or Michael Keaton? Said Wan, “That’s a ‘no comment,’ right now. You’re going to have to wait for the movie to come out.” Fair enough, Mr. Wan.
