‘Aquaman’: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talked With Geoff Johns to Prepare For Black Manta

Aquaman's Black Manta actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II spoke to just the right adviser when preparing for the role: Geoff Johns.

While visiting the set of Aquaman in Australia in July of 2017, ComicBook.com not only got a look at the full Black Manta suit as it will appear in the film, but also spoke with Abdul-Mateen II about his role in the epic under water flick. With the pressure that comes from taking on a beloved super villain, Abdul-Mateen II went straight to a man who knows him in and out having worked with DC Comics for years, including on the New 52's Aquaman book.

"We sat down a couple of weeks ago, when I was in Los Angeles," Abdul-Mateen II said of Johns. "He's a big fan of the character. Yeah, he's a big fan of the character, he loves him, and he's seen some stuff, and he's liked what he's seen thus far. I mean, I was really excited to get across the table from him, and talk about the character, and just pick his brain about some of his ideas, and say, 'Oh, okay, okay. I kind of see what you're doing. This is where I think I'll also start.' We actually sat down, and we were pretty much in line with a lot of the ideas."

In fact, the Black Manta we will see in Aquaman is very much influenced by the New 52 launch from DC Comics.

"That thing is just badass, man," Abdul-Matten II said. "We have our ideas about what the character's going to be, and so I bring all of that stuff to it. But then you put that thing on, and you see yourself in the mirror, and all of a sudden, I'm 10 feet taller in that thing, and I feel like I could bust through a wall! I talked about wanting to run through walls, and just break s--- in my meeting with Peter, when I auditioned for the job. And, I put on that suit, and everything's just coming full circle."

As producer Peter Safran was as eager to show off the look of Black Manta in the form of a photo on his phone as he was to describe the villain's comic book roots.

"I think that the New 52 version of Aquaman was definitely our touchstone and our starting point," Safran said. "And even though the film is not a direct adaptation of that, that was certainly, in terms of his origin, who he is; that Tom Curry is his father and Atlanna is his mother, who Orm is, etcetera. That all comes from the New 52. And, there are certainly creature elements from it, from the Trench. So, that was our biggest influence."

Aquaman hits theaters on December 21, 2018. For more details from ComicBook.com's visit to the film's set, check out ComicBook.com/DC or follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter!