Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reportedly had its reshoot budget reduced by Warner Bros. Discovery. Arthur Curry's story in the DC Universe (formerly known as the DCEU) will continue in 2023, with Jason Momoa set to reprise the role of the iconic Justice League hero. After Aquaman became a $1 billion dollar success, it didn't take long for Warner Bros. to greenlight a sequel with the Game of Thrones veteran, as well as tapping director James Wan to return to the franchise and helm the film. The upcoming DCU installment will go even further into the rivalry between Aquaman and his nemesis, Black Manta.
According to a new report from Variety, it appears Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is another DCU movie that has been dealing with its own production drama. According to the trade, Warner Bros. Pictures co-head Pam Abdy "had to tell Aquaman 2 director James Wan to reduce his reshoot budget," which has reportedly expanded to $205 million overproduction. Variety also notes that making any tweaks to the Aquaman sequel or any movies coming out next year in order to "incorporate them into the new DC" could cost several additional millions. Wan nor anyone at Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios has yet to comment on the Aquaman 2 portion of the report.
Aquaman 2 Might Be The Last Time Jason Momoa Plays The DC Hero
As of right now, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the last planned DCU movie that is coming out from the DC Films regime, which is being replaced by DC Studios. Reports have emerged that Momoa is potentially playing a new DCU character going forward. Whether this means that his new character, who many are speculating to be Lobo, will be in the same universe or a new continuity has yet to be determined. While it hasn't been confirmed, after Momoa's next sequel hits theaters in 2023, there are no further Aquaman movies being planned by the studio.
Should it be true that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the end of the film series, time will tell if the sequel has plot points in place to give the franchise a proper conclusion. At the time the sequel was made, it's likely that the Aquaman creative team wasn't even envisioning the 2023 movie to somehow serve as the final installment in the franchise. It may also not matter in the long run, as DC Studios is possibly looking to reboot the DCU. Whether it will be a soft reboot or a complete scraping of the universe remains to be seen.
If Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom were to become another $1 billion dollar success, it may be a case where Momoa continues playing Aquaman in other movies but then also plays this other DCU character, especially if it takes place in a new universe. Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran are reportedly getting ready to present their DCU vision to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav this week, which may be where the future for other projects gets addressed, including what happens to Momoa's franchise after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Source: Variety
