Most of the main cast members from the original Aquaman are set to reprise their roles for the upcoming sequel, but Willem Dafoe will not be among them.
We already had an inkling that the Spider-Man: No Way Home star would not be back as Arthur Curry's childhood mentor, Nuidis Vulko, after a couple of online scoopers claimed as much late last year, but director James Wan has now confirmed that Dafoe will not appear in The Lost Kingdom.
"Willem is not in this one, no," Wan tells EW. "Part of the reason was because his schedule did not work out for us. But what that allowed me to do was expand on Atlanna's role. Atlanna in this one ultimately becomes Arthur's advisor. Because Arthur's not from this world, she helps him better understand the world and the politics of how things work."
It's a shame that Dafoe won't be on hand to offer the King of Atlantis guidance for his latest adventure, but, as Wan points out, at least he'll have his mother in his corner.
There were rumors that Vulko was actually going to be killed-off in Aquaman 2, so it'll be interesting to see if his fate is brought up, or the character is simply never mentioned.
The first full trailer for the DC Comics sequel dropped earlier today. Have another look below, and let us know what you think 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.
All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, no, after w 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."