Despite being pushed back already, Aquaman 2 has been delayed as it will no longer be arriving in theaters in March but in Christmas 2023. 2022 has been a big shake-up for Warner Bros. as the studio completed its merger with Discovery to become Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year. With massive layoffs and cancellations across their film and TV slate, Warner Bros. Discovery has frequently been popping up in the headlines as they re-organize the new company. That has also come to affect their DCEU movies, with the big controversial decision of canceling HBO Max's Batgirl film despite having wrapped principal photography.

Before the merger was complete, the studio was already shuffling around some of their big upcoming DC movies, including Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Starring Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, the sequel was quickly greenlit after the 2018 film became a critical and box office success through filmmaker James Wan. Originally, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had been slated to hit theaters on December 16, 2022, before it got delayed till March 17, 2023, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods is taking its old slot. While Black Adam is still coming out this fall, The Flash movie with Ezra Miller was pushed back from its November 2022 date to June 23, 2023.

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However, history is now repeating itself as Warner Bros. reports that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is no longer arriving in March 2023 but will be delayed until Christmas next year on December 25. The trade reports that the DCEU film still has a lot of post-production work that needs to be completed, hence the extensive delay. So far, no one involved with the cast or production has commented on the latest delay for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ben Affleck as Batman

This is the latest and biggest development in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, following the news that Ben Affleck is returning as Batman for Momoa's sequel. Initially, the Aquaman follow-up would have come out before The Flash movie, which is why there was speculation that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would be delayed due to Affleck's return. Initially, Michael Keaton, who is bringing back his Batman from the Tim Burton films, had reportedly filmed something for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. However, that was under the notion that it would arrive after The Flash since they set up Keaton's Batman to continue in the DCEU, including starring in Batgirl. Despite pushing Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom back, it doesn't necessarily undo Affleck's upcoming scenes since Batgirl has been canceled, which erases Keaton's second appearance.

Whether or not there are other reasons for Warner Bros. Discovery to delay Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom outside of post-production causes remains to be seen. While this can be frustrating for fans, VFX work is a delicate and complicated filmmaking process, and it certainly hasn't been easy during the global pandemic. With the massive world that comes with Aquaman, whose title hints at exploring another kingdom, it makes sense if the post-production team needs more time. It's also possible reshoots for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may be part of the process anywhere from now until next Christmas.

Source: Warner Bros.

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