Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Director Addresses DC Universe Changes’ Impact

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom finds itself in a unique position amongst the greater DC Extended Universe. The Jason Momoa-led sequel comes five years after its predecessor, Aquaman (2018), which picked up right after the events of Justice League (2017). Since then, Momoa’s Arthur Curry has made cameo appearances in Peacemaker and The Flash, but rumblings from beyond the fourth wall have his future in doubt. Last fall, Warner Bros. Discovery brought in James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead the newly-minted DC Studios, a subsidiary of WBD that would be completely focused on creating superhero content a la Marvel Studios under the Disney umbrella.

As part of Gunn and Safran’s plan, DC Studios would be starting from scratch. Plans for a reboot were first set in motion when it was announced that fan-favorite Superman actor Henry Cavill would no longer portray the man of steel moving forward, as David Corenswet (Pearl) would play the part in 2025’s Superman: Legacy.

That said, not everything appears to be falling under the hard reset blanket. Gunn has teased that Solo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle will continue in the DCU and has left the door open for Ezra Miller’s Flash to return as well. When it comes to Momoa, all signs point to the charismatic actor staying with DC Studios, but there are questions regarding what part he would play.

James Wan on DC Studios Changes

Speaking to press at the Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom trailer preview event, director James Wan likened the current state of DC Studios as “living in a house that’s getting renovated.”

“I’m aware of everything that’s happening around me. I use the analogy that I’m living in a house that’s getting renovated, and so it’s hard to not be aware of the renovation that’s happening around me,” Wan said. “But that’s the beauty about Aquaman 2 and Aquaman 1, is we’ve always designed these two films to be within their own world. The advantage about not being hooked into this bigger universe is ultimately whatever happens over there. It doesn’t really affect my movie. As you can see in this film, it doesn’t hook into anything. It lives in its own world. Sure, there’s noises going around, but I’m just in my cocoon in my underwater kingdom.”

Aquaman (2018) briefly addressed the events of Justice League (2017) but did not utilize prior films’ storylines within its narrative. Instead, Aquaman carved out its own mythos by building up the underwater world around it.

“My dream would be to create a seven Kingdom cinematic universe on its own, where we could visit all the different worlds that we sort of touch on these two films,” Wan added.

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters on December 20th, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman. Pilou Asbaek has also joined the cast in a mystery role.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.