Aquaman 2’s James Wan Explains Why The Lost Kingdom Is Worth Seeing Despite DC Universe Plans
The Aquaman sequel comes in the midst of some major DC shakeups.
Following the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash, and with Blue Beetle now said to be part of the new DC Universe shared continuity, that leaves just one upcoming DC movie left that’s still tied to the DC Extended Universe: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. After that, the DC Universe will first kick off with the animated Creature Commandos series next year, followed by Superman: Legacy in 2025. But despite the DCEU soon coming to a close, Aquaman 2 director James Wan has explained why it’s still worth seeing the sequel.
We’re six months out from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s release, and by the time it is playing on the silver screen, five years will have passed since the first Aquaman movie came out and went on to become the highest-grossing DC movie of all time. While speaking with ComicBook.com, Wan explained that because like its predecessor, Aquaman 2 is delivering a standalone story, that means it’s still worth your time since it’s not really touching the wider DCEU mythology that’s wrapping up. In his words:
This statement follows almost a month after James Wan said how because “the Aquaman universe is pretty far removed from the rest of the world,” he barely needed to worry about the changes happening at DC Studios outside of a few “adjustments.” Will Aquaman 2 effectively conclude the DCEU era? Working off the available information, it doesn’t sound like it will, but that’s not the point. Wan was focused on delivering a compelling follow-up to Aquaman, so if you’re in the market to watch Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta clash again, amidst other events happening across the Seven Seas, then that makes The Lost Kingdom worth your time.
Also keep in mind that just because Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the last DCEU movie doesn’t mean it’ll necessarily be the last we see of Momoa as the underwater-breathing superhero. The actor indicated that he expects Aquaman to be involved in the DC Universe, and there’s a line in The Flash possibly teasing that Momoa will keep playing the character. That remains to be officially confirmed, but in the meantime, the Aquaman sequel will see Arthur teaming up with his half-brother, Patrick Wilson’s Orm, to protect Atlantis after a ancient power is unleashed. The Lost Kingdom’s cast also includes Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman and Randall Park reprising their roles, and newcomers like Vincent Regan, India Moore, Jai Zhao and Pilou Asbæk.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom dives into theaters on December 20. Max subscribers can easily revisit Aquaman and Jason Momoa’s other DCEU appearances prior to the sequel’s release, and obviously we’ll keep you apprised on all the biggest news concerning the new DC Universe.
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Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.