Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s James Wan Calls Sequel “An Outright Buddy Comedy”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to premiere in theaters this Christmas, finally bringing the live-action DC sequel to the big screen. Early marketing for the film has hinted at a massive adventure — and in an interview with Empire, director James Wan teased what tone that will take. According to Wan, The Lost Kingdom will harken back to an “outright buddy comedy”, leaning on the brother dynamic between Arthur Curry / Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Orm (Patrick Wilson)

“From the start, I pitched that the first film would be a Romancing The Stone-type thing – an action-adventure romantic comedy – while the second would be an outright buddy comedy,” Wan explained. “I wanted to do Tango & Cash! …Jason plays Arthur larger-than-life; Patrick plays the straight man. It’s not unlike what Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones did in Men In Black – like Tommy, Patrick plays it dry, but very funny.”

Will There Be an Aquaman 3?

At the moment, a third Aquaman film has yet to be greenlit by DC, especially amid the DC Studios changes led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Still, Wan has indicated that The Lost Kingdom functions as a standalone story, regardless of whatever canon it falls into at the end of the day.

“Well, Aquaman – even the first film – has always been a very standalone film,” Wan told ComicBook.com earlier this year. “That was always our approach: that it kind of lives in its own world, and that’s kind of how we’ve approached The Lost Kingdom as well. You know, people love Jason Momoa; people love him playing this role; and people love the action visuals of this space and this world. And that’s what we’re doing: we’re taking it to the next level and we are still expanding – and just any fans of Aquaman the character, that love Black Manta, this is the next level and I’m very excited to finally put out there to show them what we’ve been working on all these years.”

What Is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom About?

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters on December 25th, 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.

Are you excited for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released exclusively in theaters on December 25th.