Aquaman Sets The DCEU 'On The Right Path'

Warner Bros. executives and Aquaman producers discuss the upcoming DC Comics movie directed by James Wan, teasing a new path for the DCEU. So far, the DC Films cinematic universe from Warner Bros. has been hit or miss. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad performed well at the box office despite mixed reviews, while Wonder Woman was a critical and financial success. The last DC offering, 2017's Justice League, underperformed both with critics and at the box office. Still, fans are looking forward to the movies on WB and DC's upcoming slate, including Shazam! and Wonder Woman 2.

Before those hit theaters, though, Wan's Aquaman will release later this year. Though Aquaman footage was shown at San Diego Comic-Con last summer, and CinemaCon earlier this year, a full trailer has yet to be revealed online. Wan explained the lack of Aquaman trailer is down to the filmmakers wanting the visual effects to be completed before being shown to the public. Recently, Wan teased the Aquaman trailer, which screened at CineEurope this week and is expected to be officially released soon. Now, those behind Aquaman preview what fans can expect from the movie.

In an interview with EW, Warner Bros. film executive Toby Emmerich praised Wan's work on Aquaman, teasing that the film is "taking you to a different place and imagining the underwater world in a way you haven’t seen before." Further, Aquaman producer Peter Safran spoke about what Wan brings to the DC Comics movie universe. He said:

[Aquaman has] got the great action you expect, it’s got a lot of great humor, it works on so many levels … it’s a testament to James’ unique vision. I think it’s an extraordinary step in [the] DC Universe that sets it on the right path.

Undoubtedly, there's been plenty of discussion among fans and moviegoers concerning the path of the DC movie universe. While there are those who wish it wasn't quite as dark and grim, others wanted to see original architect Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League and completed vision for the DC characters. Moving forward, the film franchise's slate seems to be getting lighter in tone - though whether that was always the plan has been the subject of much debate. In terms of Aquaman's tone specifically, former DC Entertainment president Geoff Johns (who stepped down and will be writing the Green Lantern Corps movie), told EW:

The underwater stuff has never been executed like this before. The visual effects shots coming in are just beautiful. James can switch modes from horror to big bright colorful action to really emotional scenes. He’s so able to hit all these different genres.

Based on these comments, and previous Aquaman footage descriptions, the movie's underwater scenes will be a major strength of the DC universe installment. Considering how key they are to a character like Aquaman, though, that's to be expected. It also explains why the trailer for Aquaman hasn't released yet - if the filmmakers want to showcase a number of those scenes in the teaser, they likely needed a great deal of visual effects work. Based on Johns' comment, it seems those scenes will be well worth the wait.

As for whether Aquaman's "big bright colorful action" will please fans of the DC franchise so far in addition to casual moviegoers, that remains to be seen. We'll know much more about what to expect from the film when the first Aquaman trailer arrives - and by all accounts, that will be very soon.