Before James Wan took the helm of the Aquaman franchise, he was best known as a horror movie director. "Scary" isn’t one of the first words that comes to mind when you think of the DCEU series, but it’s not totally out of the question to wonder if James Wan will be bringing any of his roots to Aquaman 2. When asked whether he’d consider adding any horror elements to the sequel, he had an intriguing answer.
Aquaman was a monster hit for DC Films -- so much so that the anticipation for the sequel is huge. Fans have plenty of questions about what we can expect in Aquaman 2. Ahead of DC FanDome, one fan recently asked James Wan (via Twitter) if there will be more “horror touches,” and he the director had an exciting answer:
I would say yes. Just like the first movie had a touch of my horror sensibility in it, in regards to the Trench sequence, I would say there'll be a little bit of that in this next one. I think it's something that's a big part of who I am, and it just naturally comes out in these kinds of films. And especially a movie like Aquaman, where the story takes place in these underwater worlds that can be very scary. So naturally, my love for the horror genre just means that I latch myself to these scenes and try to give them a little bit more of my scary sauce.
When Aquaman was released, fans noted that the Trench sequence, in which Aquaman and Mera battle some frightening sea creatures, felt like it belonged in a horror movie rather than an epic superhero film. James Wan even admitted that he’d enjoyed putting that sequence together because it let him dabble with the genre he was most familiar with again.
James Wan rose to fame, thanks to the Saw series and later proved he had staying power with a slew of other successful franchises like Insidious and The Conjuring. His knack for incorporating practical effects and telling unique, haunting stories set him apart from his peers. So it’s completely understandable why be eager to incorporate that “horror sensibility” into even his non-horror films.
It also makes the prospects for Aquaman 2 all the more intriguing. We already know the Trench will be featured in its own spin-off film -- but does that mean the sequel will return there to help set that up? Or will Aquaman and his allies explore even darker territory?
We’ll be watching all Aquaman 2-related developments closely. For the time being, it’s due to hit theaters in December 2022.
Are you excited to see more horror elements in the Aquaman sequel? What do you think James Wan will do to incorporate that genre into the movie? Let us know in the comments!
