Created by: Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris

Directed by: James Wan

Screenplay by: Will Beall

Story by: James Wan and Geoff Johns

Starring: Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman and Ludi Lin

Cinematography by: Don Burgess

Release Date: December 21, 2018

In less than 365 days Aquaman (2018) will swim to your nearest theater and star in his very first live action solo feature film and the third live action theatrical film featuring the character, following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017). Jason Mamoa plays Arthur Cury, king of the seven seas, the Aquaman. Following the events of Justice League Arthur Cury is caught between the surface world and his own people of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. He must balance both worlds while learning more about his heritage being a half human and half Atlantean.

While it is still very far away and little is known about the film, there are a lot of things to be excited about. This post will just cover a few of them. If you are excited about something that has not been mentioned in this post or just want to leave any thoughts on the upcoming film, sound off in the comments below!

The Director

One of the biggest reasons to be excited for this film is because of its director, James Wan. He is best known for his horror films, succesfully launching multiple horror franchises like Saw (2004) and Insidious (2011). He is also the architect of his very own horror “cinematic universe”. Starting with The Conjuring (2013), which spawned a sequel and several spin-offs. With one of the spin-offs directed by our very own Shazam! (2019) director David F. Sandberg. The Conjuring Universe has been called “the first successful post MCU cinematic universe”. Earning a total of $1.2 billion worldwide against a combined budget of $81.5 million, making it the third highest-grossing horror franchise in history.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you if he is capable of directing a big blockbuster film, look no further than Furious 7 (2015)! The movie brought in $1.5 billion in the box office and gained critical acclaim from audience and critics, making Furious 7 the most successful movie in the franchise. After a tragic circumstance with one of its main stars James Wan had a very difficult task finishing a film without one of its main stars. Yet he was still able to finish a film that pleased everyone.

To sum it all up, James Wan is not only very creative in his filmmaking, he is also a very financially smart and knows how to work within the studio system.

Familiar faces

While the cast consists of many fresh faces to the comic book world. There are also a few fan favorites who are returning to the world to play a different iconic comic book character.

First we have Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master. One of James Wan’s frequent collaborators, starring in both The Conjuring and Insidious films. But to many of us he is probably best known as Nite Owl in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen (2009).

Next joining the cast is Willem Dafoe as Aquaman’s advisor Vulko. Dafoe has played many iconic villain roles throughout his career, including The Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2001).

And last but not least we have Gotham City’s psychologist Chase Meridian from Batman Forever (1995) returning to the DC universe, Nicole Kidman. This time as Aquaman’s Atlantean mother, Queen Atlanna.

A classic action-adventure-romance

While James Wan has kept quiet about the movie, there are a few snippets to get a sense of what James Wan is aiming for and what we can look forward to.

A quote from Wan to Entertainment Tonight:

“I kind of don’t want to give too much away but know this: The spirit that I’m going for is like a classic sort of swashbuckling action adventure, sort of high seas adventure story. It’s ultimately a quest story in the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Romancing the Stone.” “I think that dynamic will be really interesting between the two,” Wan continued. “Amber’s character is super strong, she’s very powerful as well. You don’t wanna mess with her. I think Amber will bring that sense of strength, but at the same time, we also want someone who has a sort of feminine quality to her as well. She’s a bit of a contrast to Momoa, who’s more of a muscular machine almost.”

A quote from Wan to Entertainment Weekly:

“I believe in taking baby steps… I want to introduce Arthur Curry in a much more emotional and powerful way, and introduce Mera played by Amber Heard, and of course there’s Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison playing his parents. We know Black Manta is in there, but I will say this: Patrick Wilson is the main antagonist in this film. I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘villain,’ but he’s the antagonist.”

The Hollywood Reporter describing the concept art footage at CinemaCon:

“It’s not until the ships get so close to you realize that’s not a spaceship. That’s a human riding a shark!” There’s plenty of Aquaman fighting, both underwater and above the ground. There’s also a look at the villain Black Manta. At one point, Aquaman is shown tied up under water as though he’s on trial or answering for a crime.

James Wan on why he chose to direct Aquaman over Flash:

“I loved that Flash! But the thing that ultimately pushed me more towards Aquaman is I love the possibility of creating a whole new world. I’ve always wanted to do a world creation story and visually create this amazing, incredible, magical kingdom.”

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