The development of the upcoming Aquaman film, helmed by The Conjuring's James Wan, has been in full swing as of late. Just yesterday, the film cast Patrick Wilson - a frequent Wan collaborator and costar of The Conjuring films - as the primary villain, Ocean Master. Fans have also been aware for a while now that Wan will be filming in Australia, but the director has also teased another location in the past that he called perfect for a film of "high sea-adventures," which Aquaman is confirmed by Wan himself to be: Italy.
Though this was a few months ago and there's not been much in the way of news to suggest Aquaman will film anywhere else but Australia, there's now new information that confirms the movie will at least film partially in Italy.
The development, which comes from GDS (translated by SMTV Reports), reports that Wan's Aquaman will film in Erice, Italy after receiving permission from the town's mayor, Giacomo Tranchida. Wan will start shooting there in September 2017 at the Castle of Venus, but it's currently unknown if the director will film elsewhere in Italy.
While this isn't the location that Wan has teased in the past, it's obvious the filmmaker has had his eye on Italy for a while now. The delay in getting permission to shoot there could potentially help to explain why Aquaman's 2018 release date was pushed back three months, but nothing has been confirmed as of now. Still, this isn't exactly a surprising development as the upcoming Wonder Woman also filmed in Italy.
Wan's insistence on shooting in Italy could be a favorable thing for Aquaman as the fictional kingdom of Atlantis (that Aquaman is leader of) calls for a place more on the elaborate and majestically beautiful side. It could be a great location for not only expansive exterior shots, but some of the buildings would be a perfect spot for more interior shots as well. As Wan himself put it a few months ago, it's a "gorgeous, picturesque" location that should add a lot of visual depth to the film.
For some fans, however, filming location will be relatively low on their list of concerns. The DC Extended Universe hasn't exactly gotten off to a hot start with critics or a lot of fans, with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad (both released this year) receiving negative reviews. Most disappointed by those two films simply want Wan to make a well-received film that can reinvigorate the DCEU (though 2017's Wonder Woman will get the first shot at changing public perception). Whether or not Aquaman succeeds at this (given that three of Wan's last four films were well received critically and financially, it's not outside the realm of possibility), however, has yet to be determined.
Source: GDS (via SMTV Reports)
