James Wan Teases Aquaman 2 Story

Aquaman director James Wan dropped by DC FanDome to talk with his Ocean Master actor Patrick Wilson. The main subject was mostly about the making of Aquaman, but talk inevitably had to venture into what's coming in Aquaman 2. Wan had to keep the major details of the film a secret, of course, but he was willing to at least tell fans what kind of Aquaman sequel they could expect. In James Wan's own words, Aquaman 2 will be more of a "serious" story, as world events have basically made it unavoidable to do much else. After living in 2020, we would have to agree...

In his full quote, James Wan says that Aquaman 2 is "I would say a little bit more serious. A little bit more relevant in a world that we're living in today. And I think that's kind of what it wants to go."

At this point, given all of the events in 2020 that we've lived through so far (or not), and still more to come... James Wan's statement could be taken to mean all sorts of things. Like really: an Aquaman movie that's relevant to today's world could encompass everything from some kind of sea-sickness (see what I did there) that ravages Atlantis, to (another) Atlantean civil war over how certain races of Atlantis have been marginalized. Or all of that.

In a previous interview with Ellen, Aquaman star Jason Momoa teased the following details about Aquaman 2:

"I was really, really, really, passionate, to do the second one because it's the first time where it's all on Earth. It's combining land and sea, kind of like what I'm doing with this [environmental cause]. There's no outside aliens destroying Earth, it's us. And so I was excited to get back in there, and so I've been working with our previous writer and getting in there, and we've got a locked story, and we're getting into it."

That kind of statement from Momoa syncs up nicely with what Wan is saying now. It seems that Aquaman 2 could be taking a focused thematic look at what kind of effect humanity (and Atlanteans?) are having on the planet. Momoa has been a major advocate for environmental concerns and has been fairly pronounced about his involvement with the Aquaman 2 script. It won't be all serious though: Momoa has shared plenty of teases of big action and stunts, while rumors have pointed to some potentially pulpy DC Comics lore coming into play. We're here for it.

Aquaman 2 hits theaters on December 16, 2022.