Aquaman 2 is trading its brazen goofiness for a more serious story, director James Wan has confirmed. Serving as a sequel to the 2018 blockbuster, Aquaman 2 features the return of the writer-director duo James Wan and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The original Aquaman movie was a critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised the movie's enhanced marine spectacle, energetic action, and passionate storytelling. Aquaman also grossed over $1 billion worldwide and became the most remunerative DCEU feature. It was this immense success of Aquaman that prompted Wan and Warner Bros. to come up with a sequel, which is due a release on December 16, 2022.

Aquaman 2 was already in preproduction when the coronavirus pandemic broke out, but its premiere date wasn't affected as the cast was only supposed to begin filming after mid-2021. Although there is a four years gap between the premiere of Aquaman and its sequel, it hasn't discouraged the arrival of regular updates about the new movie's storyline. Aquaman 2 is allegedly going to be bigger and better than its predecessor. It will contain some classic Wan-horror elements and it will also feature the reappearance of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta in a more important role. Now, another scoop about the forthcoming film's plotline has emerged.

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According to director James Wan and star Patrick Wilson's conversation at the brief Aquaman 2 DC FanDome panel, the new movie is going to be slightly more stern, introspective and humorless than the original Aquaman. Wan has also endeavored to make Aquaman 2 more relevant to the contemporary era. Apart from a more earnest and authentic narrative, Aquaman 2 will also venture deeper into the ocean. In the Aquaman franchise, there are a lot of unexplored 'worlds' under the sea, and that is something the movie's inventive director is willing to change with his love for world-building.

james wan aquaman 2

During the FanDome panel, it was also confirmed that the original Aquaman star Patrick Wilson will return to reprise his role of Orm Marius/ Ocean Master in the new film. In Aquaman's final scene, Orm was defeated by Momoa's Arthur and the supervillain was taken into underwater custody. In Aquaman 2, Orm will reappear after his imprisonment, although this time, his motives are unclear. Before Wan wrapped up his panel, he also stated that he would experiment with new objects and creatures in Aquaman 2, as that is something he had wanted to try since the beginning. These subsequent mentions all boil down to a serious stature for Aquaman 2. Since there will be a lot more characters, villains, and avenues in the new movie, it will barely have any time left for goofy gimmicks.

Before his big splash in 2018, Aquaman was sealed in fans' memories as a foolish, fish-riding, hysterical superhero in a lame costume. Although Momoa redeemed back the aquatic hero's reputation with his strong, fearsome portrayal, the character's and its story's awkward disposition was revisited during a recent body-shaming controversy. Arthur, being a DCEU juggernaut, deserves the kind of respect that is given to Batman/ Bruce Wayne. And Aquaman 2's tendency for telling a serious story, is a perfect opportunity for the muscular, righteous King of Atlantis to earn that merited respect. And after all, a serious tone is better suited for Aquaman 2's horror hues.

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Source: DC FanDome

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