Aquaman was a hit when it was released in 2018, no easy feat considering the fact it was faced with the unenviable task of washing away the bad taste left by 2017's Justice League movie.
Fortunately, it was a box office hit with over $1.1 billion worldwide and mostly positive reviews from critics. Excitement for the upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, is muted and that's largely because it's the final DCEU movie after a rough few years.
With DC Studios' reboot looming, the sequel isn't expected to set the stage for any future stories and has cut two Batman cameos (Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton) in order to avoid promising anything that will never come to pass.
Thanks to concept artist Ed Natividad, we have some new concept art from the first Aquaman movie revealing that this December won't be the first time the Caped Crusader has been left on the cutting room floor.
As you can see below, when Orm/Ocean Master attacked the surface world, members of the Justice League - including Batman piloting his massive Knightcrawler - were going to assemble in order to repel the attack. However, an effort was made by Warner Bros. to make Aquaman as standalone as possible after Justice League flopped, hence why these cameos were never shot.
"In the early versions of the Aquaman 2018 script," the artist explains, "Ocean Master commands the [three] Kingdoms to join him in the invasion of the surface world. He is met with resistance from the [Justice League]."
Take a closer look at this epic battle below.
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.