Just how long has Jason Momoa been cast as
Aquaman?
A guest on last night's
Jimmy Kimmel Live show, Momoa says it's been about four to five years since he landed the role. That's an interesting reveal, as if we look back at the casting process, reports first surfaced back in February 2013 that Momoa was in talks to play
Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn's
Guardians of the Galaxy but declined due to (rumored) differences with Marvel on the salary for the role.
In December 2013, rumors first surfaced that Momoa would appear in
Batman v Superman but the speculation was that he'd be playing
Doomsday or
Martian Manhunter. However, just a month later, casting sleuths began to zero in on Momoa's actual role as
Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis. After months of denying these reports in interviews, Momoa was finally confirmed to play
Aquaman in June 2014.
Casting Timeline
-----------------------------------------------------
February 2013 - Meets and screen tests with Chris Pratt to play Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy
December 2013 - Rumors surface that Momoa will play Doomsday or Martian Manhunter in Batman v Superman
January 2014 - New rumors surface that Momoa is actually playing Aquaman
June 2014 - Momoa is confirmed as Aquaman
Was Momoa already playing
Aquaman when he screentested for the role of
Drax? Could that have been the real reason why the role went to David Bautista after
Marvel was said to have been very high on Momoa, going so far as to make an offer on the spot? Who knows if that was really the case - and it's water under the bridge at this point as Bautista absolutely killed it as Drax in
Guardians of the Galaxy and reportedly has an even bigger role in the sequel. And from the look of the Justice League trailer, Momoa just might be the right man to actually make
Aquaman appear cool to the broader audience. We'll find out for sure when
Justice League hits theaters this November.