Aquaman Director Denies Report That Michael Kenneth Williams Has Been Cast As Black Manta

Fans thinking their fantasy-casting of Michael K. Williams as Black Manta came true should probably temper their excitement.

Yesterday, The Daily Telegraph reported that DC Films’ Aquaman will film in Australia. Couched in that news was a rumor that Williams had joined Aquaman‘s cast.

The rumor has been brought to the attention of director James Wan on Twitter. Wan dismissed the rumors as being simply, “not real,” though Wan noted that Williams is a “terrific actor.”

In August, rumors broke that Black Manta would be the villain featured in the Aquaman movie. Williams heard the news and responded by volunteering himself for the role.

However, Black Manta is a major villain in the DC Universe and is considered by most to be Aquaman’s Archenemy. ComicBook.com’s DC Comics expert Russ Burlingame notes that a Black Manta casting announcement will likely be prefaced by considerable fanfare.

“If there’s anything fans and the press like better on a slow news day than casting rumors, it’s casting rumors about actors from The Wire,” Burlingame says. “Would Williams kill it in this role? Almost certainly, but he’s also a Community veteran, which means he should by all rights be making cameos in Captain America movies instead. You’ll know it when a role as big as this has been cast for real.”

Aquaman is scheduled for theatrical release on July 27, 2018.