How To Get James Wan Back For 'Aquaman 2'

Warner Bros. is developing a sequel to Aquaman but to get director James Wan back it's going to take one specific element: a great script.

In a recent report, the director of Warner Bros' most successful film since 2012's entry to The Hobbit franchise, it was revealed that the studio is eager to head back to Atlantis. However, Wan is not so eager to dive back into work on the massive undertaking which would be Aquaman 2. He is waiting for "a seaworthy script" as the original report called it.

Wan is apparently eager to expand upon the underwater world in which Arthur Curry is currently reigning as the one true king. The first film seems to have merely scratched the surfaced on world-building when it comes to Atlantis, a world connected to the rest of the DC movie universe but isolated enough to operate in a standalone fashion.

All of these things considered, the key for Warner Bros. to landing Wan at the helm of their inevitable sequel seems to be further exploring the seven underwater kingdoms, excluding other DC Comics heroes (at least from major roles), and following up with a more in-depth look at the heroes and villains introduced in the first movie. After all, Aquaman left the door open not only for more family drama between Arthur Curry and his half-brother Orm but also set the stage for some thrilling storylines involving Black Manta.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Wan had previously opened up about his thoughts on returning to Aquaman's massive world for a sequel. "I mean, liking the people I work with goes a long way," Wan said. "That was the reason why I came back when I did Insidious 2. But it's a weird one for me, because I actually don't know what I want to do next for the first time in my career. I felt like Aquaman ticked a lot of boxes for me. I want to do another action movie after Furious 7, I wanted to do a world creation film, and I wanted to do a superhero movie, and Aquaman literally ticked all of those boxes for me. And so right now, I'm in that sort of place of like do I kind of go back and do a smaller movie maybe as my next one, something a bit more intimate. Or if I can do a personal movie, but maybe it's on a bigger scale. I'm not sure at this point."

Of course, this all was stated by Wan prior to Aquaman becoming a massive global hit at the box office. Whether or not the film's success will have any sway on his choice remains to be seen.

Wan, however, does have a history of launching franchises and building universes before handing them off. After creating the Saw franchise, he went on to helm The Conjuring and its sequel before passing off the third film and the Annabelle and Nun spinoffs to other filmmakers. Allowing Wan to explore similar elements of Arthur Curry's world could be key for getting back as a director. In this case, the Aquaman world might follow the Conjuring universe's lead when it comes to Wan, unless Warner Bros. manages to lock him in for a trilogy.

Do you want to see James Wan return for an Aquaman sequel? What stories or characters do you hope to see in such a movie? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Twitter, @BrandonDavisBD. Aquaman is now playing in theaters.