Aquaman Director Aims To Remove The Stigma From The Character

08/10/2017 05:30 pm EDT

Aquaman isn't a character people think of when they think of tough, edgy super heroes. Director of the character's upcoming standalone film James Wan, however, is planning to change that.

Whether it was Vinny Chase landing the role of Aquaman in the fictional HBO series Entourage, the cartoons painting the character as a colorful and comical hero, or just a lack of appeal from comic book lure -- Aquaman has never been the most respected super hero, despite playing key roles in many Justice League and DC Comics stories. The character's film is going to flip that perspective on its head with one factor alone: Jason Momoa.

"Momoa is not a guy that you would go up to and make fun of," Wan told TheWrap. "I really think you immediately remove any of the stigma of the character from the cartoons that we are familiar with."

Wan calls Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder's casting of Momoa for the part "a stroke of genius."

It was 2011 when Aquaman began to be reinvigorated with DC Comics' The New 52 launch, as Geoff Johns took over as the series' writer -- the same person who has gone on to become the puppet master behind the DC Films projects. The new series offered a sometimes humorous, but significantly more serious take on the character.

"Having said that, I'm not completely unaware of the stigma," Wan added. "If anything, I embrace it and being able to laugh at yourself and have fun at yourself is important and that's something I am aware of as I make Aquaman right now."

Fans will get their first real taste of Momoa's Aquaman in Justice League later this year.

Aquaman also stars Amber Heard (Justice League, Magic Mike XXL) as Mera; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Platoon, Spider-Man 2) as Vulko; Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Green Lantern) as Tom Curry; Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables films) as Nereus; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming Baywatch, Netflix's The Get Down) as Black Manta; with Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring films, Watchmen) as Orm/Ocean Master; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours, Lion) as Atlanna.

Aquaman will swim into theaters on December 21, 2018.

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.