With headlines about Warner Bros. Discovery giving up on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom dominating websites late last week, the studio was left with no other choice than to drop a trailer teaser for the sequel on Sunday night.
The original plan had been to premiere the first footage during next month's New York Comic-Con but the full trailer will instead splash down tomorrow.
Negativity continues to surround the final DC Extended Universe movie thanks to reports of abysmal test screenings and behind-the-scenes issues, and it's hard to escape the feeling it will be a box office bomb this Christmas. That's a shame, but essentially what we've come to expect from the DCEU franchise in 2023.
Now, more eyebrows are being raised over Warner Bros.' decision to re-use footage from 2018's Aquaman for the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer teaser...despite the movie being less than 100 days from release.
The fact old footage was used in a video that was only 30 seconds long is staggering, though the apparent unfinished footage of Nicole Kidman's Atlanna may tell us all we need to know when it comes to what state the sequel is currently in! It may also be an indication the teaser was thrown together at the last minute. Some will justify it as a "flashback," but it's still a questionable move.
Check out the comparison below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa - along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman - return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
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.
All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.
The screenplay is by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, from a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jason Momoa & Thomas Pa’a Sibbett.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released on December 20.