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Something about me? I have been a nerdy cinephile for as long as I can remember. Putting the two together is living my best life. That notwithstanding, I was born to express, not to impress, so I blog because I don't have friends. In other news, I like hashtags because they look like waffles, prefer my puns intended, and I always give 100% unless I'm donating blood. Thanks for reading.
James Wan and Jason Momoa streaking on a beach for an Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom magazine cover shot and still couldn’t unify fans over what to think about this movie. The death knell of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is scheduled to release in less than two months when David Zaslav finally puts Walter Hamada out to pasture and makes his memory into glue.
Regretfully, what is supposed to be a magnificent sequel from DC Comics and Warner Bros.’ first-ever $1Bil comic book movie is mired in doubt, disbelief, and a truckload of disinterest. If you’ve kept up with the drama of the Aquaman sequel, you may have seen a few speed bumps, potholes, and mounds of roadkill thwarting its path to box office success.
- The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes put a damper on press junket tours or any respective talent promoting the film
- No news, rumors, leaks, anecdotes, or even a trailer happened until September 2022
- Jason Momoa was allegedly drunk on set and dressed up like Johnny Depp
- The post-production process for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was maligned with delays, errors, and reshoots
It was 2019 when James Wan and Warner Bros. shared that a sequel to its stunning foray into Atlantis was coming. Five long years later, and we have two official trailers and a series of still shots to get nerds all up in a lather. This is not the stuff of billion-dollar marketing campaigns.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Glub. Glub. Glub.
The bang-to-hype ratio for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was like an overflowing bathtub–water gushing everywhere with expectation but then, the water goes cold in 15 minutes. Seriously, what in the sea horse hell is going on over there at Warner Bros.?!
If you aren’t certain why there is so much confusion about what to expect with the James Wan sequel, look no further than an exclusive interview with Empire. They sat down with said horror ingenue and sequel director to discuss the film. He had serious watershed quotes to share:
“There was an element of horror in the first film,” said Wan, referring to the film’s brief inclusion of the kingdom of ocean-dwelling cannibals dubbed the Trench. The Lost Kingdom will have “more of that,” he continued, and have a general “very retro, ‘60s horror look.”
Old school horror and those malevolent Trench dudes? Yes, please (even though Arthur now commands the Trench, but oh well). Then, there was this comment to give fans a strong case of bubblegut.
From the start, I pitched that the first film would be a ‘Romancing The Stone‘-type thing – an action-adventure romantic comedy – while the second would be an outright buddy comedy.
Wait, what?! We have a vengeful Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) looking fierce. The CGI is up-to-par with the otherworldly graphics seen in the first film. Sure, there were some giggle moments in that movie, but now we are comparing the sequel with ’80s schmaltz sidekick flicks?
I wanted to do Tango & Cash! Buddying up with Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry – now wrangling not only with being King Of Atlantis, but with the demands of newfound fatherhood too – is none other than Patrick Wilson’s Orm. Aquaman’s half-brother was the one causing chaos last time around; now, Curry needs him to face down Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s returning Black Manta. The result is a classic chalk-and-cheese dynamic.
Some of the best comic book movies have demonstrated a healthy balance of crisp action, fantastic graphics, solid score, skilled writing, and a handful of LOLs. However, is James Wan leaning too heavily on the fart-and-fall-down moments in Aquaman 2?
There’s no telling, but one thing is clear: Warner Bros. and DC are out of slack in their collective leash. Following The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, along with a silent turnout for Blue Beetle, no one is interested in another colossal thud from this beloved gallery of characters.
We will only know on December 20th, but right now, we need to hold our breath. This is looking like some deep water for DC fans.
Something about me? I have been a nerdy cinephile for as long as I can remember. Putting the two together is living my best life. That notwithstanding, I was born to express, not to impress, so I blog because I don't have friends. In other news, I like hashtags because they look like waffles, prefer my puns intended, and I always give 100% unless I'm donating blood. Thanks for reading.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.