AQUAMAN Spinoff THE TRENCH Was Really A Secret BLACK MANTA Movie Confirms Filmmaker James Wan

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will put the spotlight on Black Manta, but director James Wan has now confirmed that The Trench was secretly going to be a solo outing for that villain. Read on for details...

By JoshWilding - Oct 26, 2021 05:10 AM EST

Filed Under: The Trench

We first learned of Warner Bros.' plans for The Trench in February 2019. Touted as a horror movie of sorts, it was reported that the focus would be places on those monstrous creatures from Aquaman, with Jason Momoa and Amber Heard set to play supporting roles as Arthur Curry and Mera.

Eventually, the project - along with Ava DuVernay's The New Gods - was scrapped, but filmmaker James Wan just dropped quite the bombshell while replying to fans on Instagram. "I'll let you in on a little secret," he teased. "The canceled Trench spin-off movie was really going to be a secret Black Manta movie."

This is definitely a shocker, and Wan didn't elaborate on why the project - which would have presumably seen Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reprise the role - never came to fruition. Black Manta battling the Trench and becoming an anti-hero of sorts could have made for a badass movie, and we know there were also brief discussions of using him in The Suicide Squad as a member of Task Force X.

Now, Black Manta will take centre stage as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's lead villain. In Aquaman's post-credits scene, he was rescued by Dr. Stephen Shin and seemingly more determined than ever to end Arthur Curry's life. Whether a solo project ever happens remains to be seen, but this is yet another planned DC movie from Warner Bros. that's fallen by the wayside.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will splash into theaters on December 16, 2022.

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THE TRENCH: Director James Wan Opens Up On Scrapped AQUAMAN Spinoff Movie

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36 Comments

WakandanQueen - 10/26/2021, 5:09 AM

I hope TLK is 99% Mateen doing his thing.

bkmeijer2 - 10/26/2021, 5:12 AM

Maybe if they said that from the beginning, there would've been more interest in it

Whaley87 - 10/26/2021, 5:36 AM

Sounded like an awful idea in general.

inkniron - 10/26/2021, 6:33 AM

Actually more grateful they cancelled it now. I like a good villain story as much as the next guy, and Lex is probably a top 3 character for me, but most comicbooks and CBMs should be about the heroes. DC films have a weird obsessions with the villains. SS and Black Adam you can at least twist enough to make them anti-heroes from the jump, but I don't need that for most villains, especially Black Manta.

Tasmaniac - 10/26/2021, 7:38 AM

@inkniron - It IS a long held view that Marvel has the best heroes and DC the best villains 🤷🏻‍♂️

Arthorious - 10/26/2021, 8:38 AM

@inkniron - Lex was one bad man during the Perpetua event then the Batman that laughs stole his thunder…

Superspecialawesomeguy - 10/26/2021, 6:40 AM

I mean...shouldn't you have mentioned that from the beginning then? I can't speak for everyone but I'm pretty sure there would've been more support for a Black Manta movie than a bloody Trench movie lol.

SteelGunZ - 10/26/2021, 8:16 AM

@Superspecialawesomeguy - Agreed!

SteelGunZ - 10/26/2021, 8:15 AM

I believe it would have been hella of support for this movie if we new it was about Black Manta.

slickrickdesigns - 10/26/2021, 8:18 AM

Well can’t say I’m disappointed but they probably should’ve just told the fandome it was a Black Manta movie.

MrDandy - 10/26/2021, 9:02 AM

So I guess the trench is dead in the water? Sorry, I could not resist.

BecauseICare - 10/26/2021, 9:22 AM

I don't need Black Manta to be an anti-hero of any sort. If it was a straight up horror movie with him and his crew being hunted by The Trench, I would definitely be onboard with that. But if it's him being touted in any way as a hero, I'm glad it didn't get made. Also, I'm glad he wasn't in Suicide Squad. Horrible idea. Glad WB made the right move on this for once.

DR3D - 10/26/2021, 10:44 AM

@BecauseICare - yes because 1 dimensional mustache twirling villains are all we need.

BecauseICare - 10/26/2021, 11:03 AM

@DR3D - 1 dimensional mustache twirling villains is a horrible idea.

CaptainDC - 10/26/2021, 5:04 PM

Probably should have led with this....

But regardless, unnecessary. Too many other DC projects should be prioritized over this.

Humperdoo - 5/25/2022, 8:50 AM

New Gods would be amazing.

AQUAMAN Spinoff THE TRENCH Was Really A Secret BLACK MANTA Movie Confirms Filmmaker James Wan

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will put the spotlight on Black Manta, but director James Wan has now confirmed that The Trench was secretly going to be a solo outing for that villain. Read on for details...

THE TRENCH: Director James Wan Opens Up On Scrapped AQUAMAN Spinoff Movie

AQUAMAN Director James Wan Says THE TRENCH Will Be A "Monster Horror Movie"

THE TRENCH: Director James Wan Opens Up On Scrapped AQUAMAN Spinoff Movie