Why Aquaman 2 Is Taking So Long

Despite the critical and financial success of 2018’s Aquaman, why is the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which won’t arrive in theaters until December 2022, taking so long to come out? Director James Wan’s Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa as the titular character was a homerun for the DC Extended Universe. Not only did Aquaman receive fairly positive reviews, but it was a box office smash, grossing over $1 billion worldwide and making it the highest-grossing film in the DCEU thus far.

Because of Aquaman‘s success, talks of a sequel quickly progressed, with Warner Bros. confirming the sequel and setting the official release date for December 16, 2022. Returning to write the sequel is David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote Aquaman with Will Beal, with a story by him and Momoa. Wan is also tapped to return to the director’s chair for Aquaman 2. The majority of the first film’s cast is confirmed for the sequel, including Momoa, Amber Heard, who plays Mera and has been training extensively at the gym in preparation for the role, Patrick Wilson, who plays Arthur Curry’s half brother, Orm, Temuera Morrison as Arthur’s father Thomas Curry, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays Black Manta. Game of Thrones vet Pilou Asbæk joining the cast in an undisclosed role.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

With the sequel’s release date set for the end of 2022, Aquaman 2 officially began filming in July 2021, nearly a year after it was confirmed Wan would return to direct. Four years will have passed between the release of Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomwhich is an unusual gap for a superhero film. However, the other films in the DCEU are partly responsible for the four-year wait. Simply put, there was barely any space for an Aquaman 2 release date. DC has had a crowded release slate over the last two years, with the release of Birds of PreyWonder Woman 1984, and The Suicide Squad in 2021, and with The BatmanBlack Adam, and The Flash all set for 2022 releases. If Aquaman were to follow the traditional pattern for superhero films, which is usually two to three years, the only logical spot on the calendar would have been Dec. 2020. But that was far too quick of a turnaround for a film that only started shooting recently and relies so heavily on VFX that takes months to implement and finalize.

Besides the congested release slate, Wan’s busy schedule also added to the delay of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Wan signed on to write and direct Malignant, a horror film starring Jake Abel, Michole Briana White, Annabelle Wallis, and Maddie Hasson, which is slated for a release on September 10, 2021. Wan also produced Chris Rock’s Saw movie and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, as well Mortal Kombat and Netflix’s The Magic Order. Wan has a hand in all of these projects and wasn’t free until the end of 2020. Wan was also primed to produce The Trench, an Aquaman spinoff, but it was canceled by Warner Bros. in April 2021, freeing the director up a bit. There’s also the fact that Wan didn’t want to rush a second Aquaman film, which explains why production was taking its time to start on top of everything else. Then, of course, there was the issue of the ongoing pandemic to contend with as it was not possible to shoot Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2020 due to worldwide production shutdowns.

Despite the long gap, a four-year wait between Aquaman films may be a blessing in disguise. The extra time allowed Wan to finish his other projects before fully immersing himself back into the Aquaman universe. Plus, the DC universe is really starting to hit its stride thanks to the first AquamanWonder Woman, Birds of PreyShazam!, and The Suicide Squad. The wait for Aquaman 2 may be a lengthy one, but it could end up being the best thing for the DCEU overall.

Key Release Dates
  • The Batman (2022)Release date: Mar 04, 2022
  • Black Adam (2022)Release date: Oct 21, 2022
  • DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)Release date: Mar 17, 2023
  • The Flash (2023)Release date: Jun 23, 2023
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022)Release date: Dec 16, 2022
Thor: Love & Thunder Merch Hints At Major Guardians Change

About The Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *