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There are a ton of superhero movies currently in the works, to the joy of fans who stayed away from the theaters over the past year. For DC, one of the most highly anticipated projects is James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. And according to one Aquaman 2 star, the sequel’s script might be better than the original.
The original Aquaman movie was the first DC release after the disappointing performance of Justice League back in 2017. Against all odds, James Wan’s underwater adventure made over $1 billion, and introduced a new corner of the DCEU. Yahya Abdul-Matteen II will reprise his role as Black Manta, and recently explained why he prefers The Lost Kingdom over the original movie. In his words,
I think the script is better than it was in the first one. It gives the actors a lot of good storytelling moments. In Aquaman, we just got a small introduction to Black Manta and to some of his motivations. In this one, I get to exercise and breathe a little bit more. I’m showing some different colors with this one.
Touche. While James Wan had to do a ton of world building in the first Aquaman movie, it seems there’s more time with characters like Black Manta throughout the course of the mysterious sequel. Audiences really responded to Abdul-Matteen’s character, so there’s no telling what type of underwater action will come to play in The Lost Kingdom.
Yahya Abdul-Matteen II spoke about Black Manta and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom during an interview with THR about his rising career. He’s got a ton of highly anticipated projects coming down the line, including a role opposite Keanu Reeves in The Matrix 4. Luckily he shared a small tidbit about the Aquman sequel, while he and the rest of the cast have reunited to start principal photography.
The first Aquaman, and overall DCEU, can be seen on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Considering the critical and box office success of the first Aquaman, the pressure is on for Jason Momoa and company to deliver for The Lost Kingdom. Luckily Yahya Abdul-Matteen II seems to think the script is better, which is certainly high praise. And since audiences loved Black Manta so much, they’ll likely enjoy extra time with the deadly villain.
The contents of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are currently being kept under wraps, as is the case with most superhero movies these days. The mid-credits scene from the first movie revealed that Black Manta had survived his encounter with Arthur Curry, rescued by Randall Park’s Dr. Stephen Shin. We’ll just have to see if Park is in the cast of the upcoming sequel, where we could see this villainous partnership play out. Then again, he’s got an ongoing role in the MCU so who knows?
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently expected to arrive in theaters on December 16th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
