It's not usually a great sign for a character's standing in pop culture when a filmmaker has to publicly explain why they are interesting and worth an audience's time, but that doesn't appear to be stopping DC Comics and Warner Bros. from moving forward with big screen plans for Aquaman. It was first rumored back in mid-June that Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa would be making an appearance as the superhero in Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but that's not all the studios have planned. Apparently there is a solo movie in the works as well, and today two writers have been hired to work on scripts.
This news comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter, which says that both Will Beall and Kurt Johnstad have been hired to start working on Aquaman - but they won't be working together. Instead, each of them will be working on their own screenplay, and which ever one is deemed best will be adapted as a part of DC's growing Cinematic Universe. The assumption is that the aquatic superhero movie will be one of the nine untitled projects that have been announced to be released between now and 2020, but obviously we don't know where it will fit in at this point. The three earliest dates following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's release in March 2016 are August 5, 2016, June 23, 2017, and November 17, 2017.
Both Beall and Johnstad have interesting connections both with the DC Cinematic Universe and the filmmakers already involved. Back in June 2012, Beall was hired to pen a brand new Justice League movie - though in February 2013 it was reported that the screenplay had been scrapped due to lack of quality. Beall has also worked with Warner Bros. before, having scripted the period crime drama Gangster Squad. Johnstad, meanwhile, has close ties to Batman vs. Superman director Zack Snyder, having co-written the screenplays for both 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire with him. His only other feature writing credit was the "Real Navy SEALs" movie Act of Valor, which came out in 2012.
Given how many projects Warner Bros. and DC Comics have in development, it's hard to say if this hiring is part of long-term or short-term planning. Aquaman is certainly considered one of the classic members of the Justice League, and it makes a good amount of sense that the studios would want to give audiences a chance to really get to know him in his own solo movie before having him jump into a team-up right at the start. On the other hand, the marine superhero may still be considered a risky project - which means that the studio may want to see how audiences react to him before committing to a lone underwater adventure.
Because it definitely seems like it's in the works, when would you like to see an Aquaman movie: sooner or later? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
