Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom Director Gets Honest About The ‘Negativity’ Surrounding The DC Film

Orm (Patrick Wilson) and Arthur (Jason Momoa) in Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The first Aquaman made over $1 billion at the global box office, making it the biggest hit of the modern DC film universe. One might expect that fans would be looking forward to the sequel with anticipation, and but that hasn’t necessarily been the case. Numerous delays, controversy surrounding the role (or lack thereof) of Amber Heard, the fact that the movie comes at the tail end of the current DC universe before a reboot, and simply a less-than-stellar buzz have all combined to create a movie surrounded by negativity. Director James Wan is aware of what’s being said, but he’s not worrying about it much.

The sequel to Aquaman was given the green light quickly after the first movie became a massive hit, but it’s now been five years since that movie came out. James Wan tells Empire (via The Direct) that he’s been working on the film for nearly that entire time, and while he’s simply happy to have the movie coming out, he does call it the “noisiest” movie he’s ever been part of. Wan said… 

I've been on this movie for four years now, and I'm so happy for it to come out. In many ways, I think it's even more fun than the first one. But it's been a long, exhausting process. It is definitely the noisiest movie I've ever worked on.

A lot of the “noise” surrounded the role of Amber Heard in the sequel. There was a concerted effort by some who took the side of Johnny Depp in the dueling defamation lawsuits that wanted to see Heard removed entirely from the film. Petitions were started that argued for exactly that. Heard’s role has reportedly been significantly reduced compared to the first movie, but Wan claims that was due to the story he wanted to tell and did not have anything to do with Heard herself.

Beyond Heard, however, there seems to be a general negative buzz around Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Perhaps because a lot of people know that the current DC Universe is coming to an end, there just isn’t the excitement for the movie there might otherwise be. But Wan says that whatever all the negativity for the movie right now might mean, it will all fade away eventually, and the movie itself will still be there. He continued… 

That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from this experience. To filter out the negativity and focus on the film. Because that’s what will live on - in 20 years, no one will remember the noise. Only the movie.

The Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom release date is still a few weeks away, which may in the end just mean more negativity between now and then. But Wan is almost certainly correct that eventually the movie will stand alone and it will be judged on its own merits. 

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.