Aquaman Director Says Dolph Lundgren's Role Isn't Villainous

04/12/2017 11:21 pm EDT

Perhaps the biggest news within the nerd world tonight is that Dolph Lundgren will be joining the cast of Aquaman.

With the announcement that Lundgren would be playing King Nereus, many - including those of us at ComicBook.com - speculated exactly how the short-lived comic character would factor into the film's story.

While the dominant assumption was that Nereus would be some sort of antagonist, there's a chance his role might not be so cut-and-dry, according to the film's director, James Wan.

When one journalist tweeted about the casting, referring to Lundgren being cast as "one of the villains" in the film, Wan quoted the tweet and provided a bit of clarification. According to the director, the role of Nereus in the film will be "not quite" a villain.

This proves to be particularly interesting, considering the fact that Nereus' role in the comics is particularly antagonistic. But given the fact that Aquaman already includes two of the Atlantean Prince's greatest foes - Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Orm the Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson) - it makes sense for Nereus to be in the film in a different capacity. And given how little Nereus has appeared in past DC comics, his character might be one of the easiest of Aquaman lore to approach in a new way.

Seeing Lundgren in a more traditionally good role will certainly be interesting as well. Aside from his most famous role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Lundgren has played villains throughout his career, most recently on another DC Comics property - Arrow.

An icon for over 70 years, Aquaman is the King of the Seven Seas. This reluctant ruler of Atlantis, caught between a surface world constantly ravaging the sea and Atlanteans looking to lash out in revolt, is committed to protecting the entire globe.

The film is based on characters appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment and will star Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as the sea-dwelling superhero, Amber Heard (Machete Kills) as Mera, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) as Atlantean politician Vulko, Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Temuera Morrison as Aquaman's father. It's being directed by James Wan (Furious Seven, The Conjuring), written by Will Beall (Gangster Squad), and produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder and Zack Snyder.

MORE: Jason Momoa Shows Off Trident In New Training Photo | Watch Amber Heard Begin Training For Mera | The Rock Congratulates Yahya Abdul-Mateen For Aquaman Casting

Aquaman is set for release in 2018. Are you excited to finally see James Wan's undersea epic? Let us know with your vote in our Anticipation Rankings

DC and Warner Bros. have a full slate ahead, with Teen Titans: The Judas Contract coming first on April 4, 2017. After that it's time for Wonder Woman on June 2, 2017, followed by Justice League on November 17, 2017. The Batman is expected sometime in 2018, with The Flash debuting on March 23, 2018. Aquaman is set for October 5, 2018, and Nightwing's solo feature is due sometime in 2019.

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