We've been hearing a great deal about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's apparent issues, from multiple cuts (some of which were spearheaded by studio executives) to poor test screenings and clashes between cast members.
Will the sequel be a disaster? That remains to be seen, though it's always possible these problems have been blown out of proportion. At the same time, we rarely see so much smoke without at least a little bit of fire!
Based on recent comments, Jason Momoa is gearing up to bid farewell to Arthur Curry. Still, he co-wrote Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's story and the character remains near and dear to him...even if all signs point to the actor ditching the King of Atlantis to play Lobo in the new DCU!
"It's pretty much all me, and I love it. I'm extremely proud of it," Momoa said at the CCXP convention in São Paulo, Brazil this weekend. "There's a lot of things you want to do and fulfil as an actor, and also for the fans, and for myself. When we finished the first one, I had a lot of ideas. And I started to put them down, just put down in my heart and my love for the character."
"Then we got a meeting with DC and Warners and James [Wan]," Momoa continued before revealing the "nerve-racking" experience of pitching his story to studio brass. "I've never done that before. I pitched my own idea but I'm like, 'They can't fault me on this, because I love this character and I've played it for so long. Here's some ideas that I would like to do.'"
"And they responded really well to it, and then James liked a lot of ideas, and then they took that and ran with it and took it to another level." He concluded by revealing the Aquaman follow-up dives into, "responsibility, and weight, and what it means to be a father and a king."
It's no secret Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will introduce Arthur and Mera's son, affectionately known as "Aquababy" in the comics, with the prevailing theory being that the child is going to be killed by Black Manta (Amber Heard's Mera is also expected to meet her maker).
Asked about that during this panel, filmmaker James Wan said only, "We'll see. That'd be dark..."
Do you think Aquaman losing his wife and son is too dark for the upcoming sequel? Check out a new Chinese poster below and then let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released on December 22.