Director James Wan (Malignant; The Conjuring) has revealed this evening that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the official title of his upcoming DC Comics sequel, which will see the return of Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones; See) as the titular deep-sea superhero.
While The Lost Kingdom is plenty cryptic, The Illuminerdi recently learned the film's working title is "Necrus," a reference to the mysterious Black City that is found in the deepest part of an underwater canyon and made its one and only appearance in Aquaman #30. Its inhabitants are a militaristic society led by King Mongo, who believes that any and all invasions from the surface dwellers should be met with an aggressive and fatal response, which could very well set the stage for the upcoming Aquaman follow-up.
In addition to the fan-favorite Momoa, supporting cast members Amber Heard (Mera), Patrick Wilson (Orm), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), and Dolph Lundgren (Nereus) are all expected to reprise their roles from the previous installment, while Game of Thrones alum Pilou Asbæk recently joined the ensemble cast in an undisclosed villain role.
No word yet on Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison or Willem Dafoe, but it seems more probable than not that they'll all also be back in some capacity as Atlanna, Thomas Curry, and Vulko respectively.
In addition to the Aquaman sequel, Warner Bros. and DC also have the following titles lined up for 2022/2023: The Batman (March 4, 2022), The Flash (November 4, 2022), Black Adam (July 29, 2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (June 2, 2023). They are also in various stages of development on Blue Beetle, Batgirl, Supergirl, Green Lantern Corps, Static Shock, Wonder Woman 3, and an untitled Superman film.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to hit theaters on December 16, 2022.