For decades Aquaman was one of the less-appreciated superheroes in the DC Comics mythology (to put it lightly), but no longer. Following his cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and full DC Extended Universe debut in Justice League, Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry finally snagged the spotlight for himself in a standalone movie, and several months later, Aquaman is now the highest-grossing DC movie of all time. With a performance like that, it’s no wonder that Warner Bros has already started developing Aquaman 2, which is officially confirmed for a 2022 release. Cue the horrible Pitbull cover!
Warner Bros announced today (via EW) that Aquaman 2 will be released on December 16, 2022. So we’ll have to wait a little longer than usual for the sequel, but it is on the way. Given how successful Aquaman ended up being during its time in December, Warner Bros and DC presumably think Aquaman 2 will have the best chance of repeating such success by staying within that month. Naturally Jason Momoa will reprise Arthur Curry, but there’s no word yet on if James Wan will return to direct. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, one of several screenwriters who worked on the first Aquaman movie, will pen Aquaman 2.
Even though Aquaman has earned a more mixed critical reception, there’s no question that it’s been a huge hit with over $1.1 billion under its proverbial belt, making it the fifth highest-grossing movie of 2018. Frankly, Warner Bros not moving forward with a sequel would have been the more baffling move, and it’s worth noting that Aquaman 2 isn’t the only way the studio is looking to expand Aquaman’s side of the DCEU. There is also a spinoff centered on The Trench in the works, but that’s expected to be handled by a brand-new creative team, and none of the main Aquaman characters will appear in that story.
Warning: SPOILERS for Aquaman are ahead!
Aquaman ended with Arthur Curry defeating his half-brother Orm and ascending to the Atlantean throne with Mera by his side. The underwater kingdoms were at peace again, but that can only last for so long in a comic book media universe. Case in point, the mid-credits scene revealed that Black Manta survived his clash with Arthur in Sicily and had been rescued by Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine biologist desperate to prove to humanity that Atlantis exists. Shin asked for Black Manta’s help to find the underwater nation, and the mercenary agreed in exchange for Shin’s helping seeking revenge on Arthur. One would imagine that this is what Aquaman 2 will be about: Shin and Manta using whatever forces and resources at their disposal to infiltrate Atlantis and cause trouble for the King of the Seven Seas.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how Aquaman 2 is progressing. In the meantime, look through our DC movies guide to find out what else is coming down the DCEU pipeline. If you interested in watching/re-watching Aquaman, the movie arrives on Digital HD next Tuesday, March 5, and the Blu-ray and DVD copies will hit shelves on March 26.
