Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (First Full Length Trailer) (December 20, 2023)

‘Aquaman 2’ Production to Begin This Summer

With the movie industry now having a brand-new set of rules and regulations, things are slowly starting to get going again, with upcoming comic book outing Aquaman 2 now gearing up to get started. According to a new report, the DC sequel will begin filming in the United Kingdom in June, confirming previous reports claiming that production would begin in summer. Aquaman 2 has also now been given an interesting working title which could offer some insight into plot elements of the sequel; Necrus.

Necrus should be familiar to DC fans and is the name of another underwater city similar to Aquaman's native Atlantis. It is unique in that it only exists for very brief intervals of time and can never be found in the same location twice. Known as "The Black City," Necrus is ruled over by a tyrant king and is completely militaristic, which should prove a challenge for the underwater superhero should Necrus turn out to be part of the story.

Released back in 2018, the first Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as the titular DC superhero. Beginning when Arthur Curry discovers he is half-human, half-Atlantean and born with the ability to communicate with marine creatures, Arthur must confront his origins and sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and stop his half-brother, King Orm from uniting the seven underwater kingdoms against the surface world.

Though the first movie was a flawed outing, it was well-received by both critics and audiences alike who praised it for its spectacle and energetic action, and went on to be a billion-dollar success at the box office. Thanks to Momoa's charismatically gruff lead performance, and the vibrant CGI, Aquaman emerged as one of the better outings in the DC catalogue, with fans looking forward to diving back in for the upcoming sequel.

Details on the plot of Aquaman 2 are being kept under wraps, but we do know that the movie will reunite Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry and Amber Heard's princess Mera, as well as bring back villains the Ocean Master and Black Manta, played once again by Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II respectively. Along with the new working title possibly offering some clues as to the movie's direction, writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick recently offered some insight into plans for the follow-up saying, "Hmm... Good question. We're not taking any one particular comic book story and adapting it, but if you want to know the vibe we're going for, pick up pretty much any Silver Age story featuring Black Manta."

Returning director James Wan has also teased that the sequel will be "a little bit more serious" and "more relevant in a world that we're living in today." Wan, who has become synonymous with horror moviemaking, also confirmed that the sequel would again take inspiration from the genre where appropriate due to Aquaman 2's setting. "Just like the first movie had a touch of my horror sensibility in it, in regards to the Trench sequence, I would say there will be a little bit of that in this next one," Wan said.

Aquaman 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on December 16, 2022. This comes to us from Discussing Film.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Noice! This sounds like it's going to be even better if they go with a serious tone.

There were rumors of Heard being replaced with Emilia Clarke a couple of months ago. I can't say I would hate this choice. At the same time, Heard was great as Mera and looks amazing wet and as a red head. I feel conflicted...  

WyldeMan wrote:Both Momoa and director James Wan are said to be fighting with the studio to keep Amber in a starring role like she had in the first film. At the same time the trade sites are reporting that the execs at WB want Mera's role reduced to basically a guest spot where they can kill her off and replace her with a fresh "diverse" fish for Arthur in the sequels.

WyldeMan wrote:It's likely we won't know who wins out before they start shooting this Summer.

All I know is I still stand behind Amber's crazy ass cause it's a wonderful view and I just want to support it....her.

UltimateMarvel wrote:That's a terrible idea. I prefer her to be recast if that's the case. Their relationship is already built so to go in a different direction now doesn't make sense.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I know how you feel. If only she wasn't so crazy.

WyldeMan wrote:I'm never a fan of recasts and it's not like Mera is a minor character, she's the future Queen of Atlantis and a major part of Aquaman's story but since WB has no respect for the source material, it doesn't matter.

However, I am really not a fan of Emilia Clarke being her suggested replacement just because GoT fans still won't shut up about those two after 8 years. I've never seen a single role of Emilia's outside of GoT that I even enjoyed, she's fairly bland and boring, so no, just no.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:I'm never a fan of recasts and it's not like Mera is a minor character, she's the future Queen of Atlantis and a major part of Aquaman's story but since WB has no respect for the source material, it doesn't matter.

However, I am really not a fan of Emilia Clarke being her suggested replacement just because GoT fans still won't shut up about those two after 8 years. I've never seen a single role of Emilia's outside of GoT that I even enjoyed, she's fairly bland and boring, so no, just no.

True. Looking at her IMDB, I can't say I've seen her other than GoT. But you can't deny, she would also look amazing as Mera.

WyldeMan wrote:You're right, if the studio can photoshop Emilia's head onto Amber's body for the entire movie, then she might just pull it off.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:You're right, if the studio can photoshop Emilia's head onto Amber's body for the entire movie, then she might just pull it off.

Yep. We are working on this technology of "replacing heads" currently and based on our test subjects, the results looked very promising.

Aside from the big six, Zack Snyder’s Justice League featured or referenced a whole bunch of other DC comic icons, including Martian Manhunter, the Atom, the Spectre, Green Lantern Yalan Gur, Deathstroke, Joker, Zeus, Ares and Artemis. But one of the more developed secondary characters was Amber Heard’s Atlantean princess Mera, who went toe-to-toe with Steppenwolf and was on Batman’s team in the Knightmare future.

Justice League was Mera’s debut in the DCEU, with the character going on to play a major role in 2018’s Aquaman. But many noticed an interesting difference in the Snyder Cut from Joss Whedon’s version and her subsequent appearances. In the newly released film, she speaks in an English accent, while elsewhere she sounds American. So, what gives?

Well, credit to Amber Heard because her accent is spot on, but my thinking is that they originally went with the English accent to emphasize her royal status but backtracked a little on reconsideration. This may have been because if Mera has this accent, it implies that all Atlanteans do and James Wan didn’t want to have the Aquaman cast doing accents with varying degrees of accuracy. This also likely means that all her dialogue in the theatrical cut of Justice League was ADR’d or that her scenes were entirely reshot to accommodate the change.

As ScreenRant explains:

It’s evident that when Whedon was reshaping the film, Heard had to either do ADR in post-production or she had to reshoot her scenes with Momoa. Based on what was seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League when comparing to the theatrical cut, it seems more likely that Heard did ADR. In Aquaman, the British accent is nowhere to be heard, meaning that perhaps Wan (or even Warner Bros.) didn’t want to go in that direction for Mera in the Aquaman movie, and since Snyder’s version of the character wasn’t going to appear in the theatrical cut, changing the accent was an easy decision to avoid future conflict. The addition of a British dialect doesn’t change the character’s arc, though, but it certainly does affect viewers’ perception especially after having already seen Mera in Aquaman.

WyldeMan wrote:Deep Fake tech could possibly make it a viable option.

EXCLUSIVE: With production gearing up, Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and James Wan have found Jason Momoa his first new co-star for highly-anticipated sequel to the global hit Aquaman. Sources tell Deadline Pilou Asbaek, best known for his role as the villainous Euron Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, is in talks to join Aquaman 2 opposite Momoa who is set to return in the title role.

Wan is returning to direct and produce alongside Peter Safran. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick is penning the script. Plot is unknown at this time and it is unknown who Asbaek would be playing in the film.

Asbaek’s star has been on the rise after his scene-stealing performance as Greyjoy from the moment he appeared in the sixth season of the hit show. On the film side Asbaek has been busy, with credits that include Overlord, Run Sweetheart Run and most recently the Netflix pic Over the Wire. He can be seen next opposite Sylvester Stallone in MGM’s Samaritan.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Probably a villain, he's good at bad guys.

Aquaman 2 Is Officially Wrapped as James Wan Shares Final Set Photo

DC fans can officially start counting down the days until December 16. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan took to Instagram to announce the end of filming for the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman. The feature was shooting in Malibu, California for its final days and as an obviously excited Wan put it, “finally, finally, finally picture wrap on the actual last day of Aquaman 2”. Filming for the project was delayed due to the stacked release schedule that the DC cinematic universe has had over the past few years, Wan’s own busy directing and production schedule, and the major slowdowns caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the photo, Wan stands behind a beaming Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson. Soaked down to the bone, Wilson grasps a shower head that is pouring out water in front of the trio. Mamoa is also dripping wet, which Wan acknowledges in the photo’s caption writing, “Yes, we do get very wet, a lot, on this show." Wan goes on to thank the “tireless” crew who filmed in several locations, including the UK, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. He rounds out his message telling fans that although the film has “a very long way to go before it will be ready,” the director “can’t wait to share this little film with you all.”

The original movie showed us the beginnings of the underwater protector (Momoa) and how he defeated his evil step brother, King Orm (Wilson), to rightfully claim the throne. So far, we know that Aquaman 2 will take fans on a new journey with the titular character as he is forced to trust a menacing ally in order to preserve his beloved Atlantis, as well as the rest of the world, when they are both threatened by chaos and destruction.

Warner Bros on Thursday unveiled the first full-length trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the very long awaited sequel to the subaquatic James Wan superhero pic which remains one of DC’s biggest successes.

“Four years ago, I was basically unemployed, a wanderer with no home,” Jason Momoa’s title character proclaims in the segment. “But now, I’m a husband and a father. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He’s now got a job, as well, looking after a kingdom of half a billion as King of Atlantis. But not everything comes easily for him in the sequel, as Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) returns in hopes of taking him out.

Read more about the flick below. Check out the trailer above.

Ahead of the official trailer for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” launching Sept. 14, director James Wan spoke to Entertainment Weekly about many of the rumors circulating the DC sequel. The tentpole has been plagued by reports of a disastrous post-production that allegedly included three rounds of reshoots as the film got caught in the middle of the executive overhaul at DC Studios, which is now run by James Gunn and Peter Safran. The two co-CEOs are spearheading a new DC Universe outside of the one “Aquaman 2” was conceived for.

“The tricky thing early on was not knowing whether ‘Aquaman’ would come out first or come out after [‘The Flash’]. So, we just had to be prepared,” Wan said. “At the end of the day, the best thing I would say about this movie is that it is not connected in any way to any of those films. That’s the bottom line.”

Reports claimed that Batman actors such as Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton were brought in for “Aquaman 2” reshoots, but they also appeared in “The Flash.” Does that mean Wan didn’t need to utilize Batman after all since “The Flash” first? “That’s a ‘no comment,’ right now,” he said. “You’re going to have to wait for the movie to come out.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, Wan did not dispute a claim that Gunn “weighed in” on the “Aquaman” sequel now that he’s in charge of DC Studios, but Wan added, “I’ve known James since way back, right? We’re horror guys, and so I’m definitely open to ideas. But, at the end of the day, this is my movie.”

Wan also insisted that reshoots on “Aquaman 2” were no different than any other major Hollywood tentpole.

“We have big actors in this movie, and everyone’s schedule is really hard,” he said. “So, we had to break up our shooting schedule into sections. We’ll shoot a bit here now, because this actor’s available, and then we’ll do another shoot now, because this guy’s available. People are like, ‘Oh, they’re doing a whole bunch of different shoots!’ No. If we actually combined them all together, it’s actually not that many number of days at all.”

Wan was also asked about Amber Heard, who plays Mera in the comic book film franchise. During her 2022 defamation trial involving Johnny Depp, Heard claimed in court that Warner Bros. “didn’t want to include me” in the “Aquaman” sequel due to the fallout of her divorce from Depp. She said her role in the sequel was “pared down” and action scenes were “taken away.”

According to Wan, however, the sequel was never meant to focus on Mera and Aquaman the way the first movie did in 2018. He said “Aquaman 2” always prioritized Aquaman’s relationship to his villainous half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), over his one to Mera.

“I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go,” Wan said. “The first ‘Aquaman’ was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie. We’ll leave it at that.”

As for a potential third “Aquaman” movie, Wan confirmed that “we’ve set up certain things in a good place in the second movie that you can definitely draw upon in a third.” However, Wan stressed that he has no plans or stories for “Aquaman 3” at this time. Would he direct? “I don’t know,” he said. “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.”

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is set to open in theaters Dec. 20 from Warner Bros.