With less than a year until James Wan's Aquaman debuts on the big screen, reshoots are officially underway. There have been numerous reports related the film's new footage, including the suggestion that they were used to add Randall Park's Dr. Shin to the story. However, James Wan has officially taken to social media to shut down those rumors and confirm that Dr. Shin was always part of the Aquaman story. In response to these reports, Wan wrote:
So, despite rumors to the contrary, Randall Park's Dr. Shin existed as part of the core Aquaman narrative from the very beginning. James Wan recently posted a photo with the Fresh Off the Boat star during the reshoot process, but per Wan's remarks, this wasn't meant to add Shin to the story. Aquaman just needed some pickups, and Park needed to be present on the film's set to help get them in the can.
James Wan's clarification of the Aquaman reshoots seems relevant because we still know very little about the upcoming DCEU solo film. No trailer has been released yet (in fact, we haven't seen any footage at all), and most of the glimpses that we have seen have come from leaked behind-the-scenes photos. In regards to Dr. Shin's role in the film, this led to some fan confusion when some assumed that Randall Park's presence on the set for reshoots meant that the character was a late addition to the story.
If you want a closer look at the tweet that got this Dr. Shin rumor started, check out James Wan's picture with Randall Park, below.
For those of you who are less familiar with the Aquaman world, Dr. Shin is a major supporting character in the Aquaman comics. In the source material, he is a friend of Arthur who helps him develop his powers at a young age in Amnesty Bay -- before turning on his longtime friend when Arthur refuses to divulge the location of Atlantis. We don't yet know precisely how Shin factors into this take on Aquaman, but the fact that he has always been part of the script helps color our understanding of the film.
With all of that said, the fact that Dr. Shin has apparently always been part of the Aquaman story also seems encouraging and promising. Despite how little we have seen of the upcoming DCEU outing, we do know that the cast feels stacked with some notable Aquaman characters. Between Orm (Patrick Wilson), Mera (Amber Heard), Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and many others, Aquaman will seemingly offer up a broad range of deep cuts from Arthur Curry's corner of the DC lore. Now, with Dr. Shin present in the ensemble (with a fundamental role in the film, no less), we can look forward to the surface world and Atlantis both receiving thorough exploration.
Aquaman will premiere later this year on December 21. Make sure to mark its release down on your 2018 moviegoing calendar, and head over to our full premiere guide to see what other notable release dates are on the horizon!
