Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom marked Jason Momoa's final adventure as the sea-faring superhero. The movie was met with largely negative reviews last December and holds a "Rotten" 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also grossed only $439.4 million at the worldwide box office despite its predecessor making over $1.1 billion.
It's no secret the DCEU sequel went through a lot of changes courtesy of multiple rounds of reshoots, several edits, and real-life controversy which led to a reduced role for Amber Heard's Mera. That might go some way in explaining where it all went wrong.
Both movies saw Patrick Wilson take on a significant supporting turn as Orm, a.k.a. Ocean Master. Arthur Curry's half-brother was the first movie's villain and an unwilling ally to Arthur Curry in the sequel. He also became an unexpected source of comic relief, starring in the DCEU's final-ever post-credits scene that saw Orm happily eat a cockroach.
Talking to Variety, Wilson was asked if he'd hoped to make more than just two Aquaman movies.
"I don’t think so. I mean, I say this as a guy who’s done several 'Insidious' movies, several 'Conjurings,' a couple 'Aquaman.' It’s not like there’s a stigma to me against sequels," he explained. "It’s just when you look at the structure of Orm — bad guy in the first one, basically a good guy in the second one — I don’t know where else he goes. I wasn’t signed on for a third."
"There was no frustration. I don’t know where the story would go. I wouldn’t be opposed to it. We had a great time shooting the second one. I had the best time," Wilson continued. "I feel really fortunate to have my two forays into superheroes be these bizarre characters of Night Owl Two [in 'Watchmen'] and Ocean Master. It’s strange and odd and weird, and I dig that. I’m not going to lie. So, I’m happy with that ship sailing."
Jason Momoa has been tapped to play the DCU's Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, confirming his time as Aquaman is now over. With that in mind, it was always unlikely Wilson would get another shot at playing the former King of Atlantis.
Later, he confirmed he's not against returning if asked despite not sounding overly keen on the idea of heading back under the sea as Orm.
"Would I go back to it? I mean, if it’s good. Who’s directing it? What’s the story? He’s such an odd character. I don’t know where you just drop him in. It’s so strange to me," the actor said. "Also, they have taken the DC Universe in a whole different way. We had a good run. It’s okay. So, there’s not one ounce of, 'Is there anything?' I would totally play again if it’s worth it, but I just don’t know how."
There are still plenty of other comic book movie roles Wilson could tackle, especially as he's yet to make his MCU debut. The actor was eyed for the role of Darren Cross in 2015's Ant-Man before scheduling issues came into play so we can't discount the possibility he'll eventually work with Marvel Studios.
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