Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays Black Manta in James Wan's Aquaman, is thrilled with the footage he's seen so far from the 2018 DCEU film.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Black Manta in the upcoming DCEU movie Aquaman, and he's happy with the footage he's seen so far. Directed by James Wan, Jason Momoa's first standalone film as the half-Atlantean, half-human will tackle the politics and royal family issues that currently plague Atlantis.
Aquaman still has quite a ways to go before hitting theaters. After wrapping up production last October, Wan has been busy in post-production on the film. Considering the amount of CGI needed to bring the world of Atlantis to life on the big screen, there's still a lot work that needs to be done before the final cut is ready, but that doesn't mean some of the movie isn't ready to be shown to the general public. Warner Bros. will reportedly reveal the first Aquaman trailer later this month, and it seems that at least one of the film's actors has seen that footage already.
Flickering Myth spoke with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II at SXSW while doing the promotional rounds for his latest movie, Boundaries. But, by no surprise, the actor was asked about his much-anticipated role in DC's Aquaman. Although he couldn't divulge any plot points, he did share that he's ecstatic over the footage he's seen so far:
“I can’t say much about that. I have seen some of it, and I’m very happy with what I’ve seen thus far. Australia was beautiful. They have a word there, they say ‘cruising’, which means that it’s really, really comfortable, and low stress, and just beautiful, a lot of greenery and beaches and things like that.”
At the moment, specific story details regarding the film are being kept under wraps. What is known, though, is that Aquaman takes place after Justice League but with hints from the past, including how Arthur's parents' - Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) and Thomas Curry's (Temuera Morrison) - love affair started, as well as the protagonist's childhood, with both Kaan Guldur and Otis Dhanji set to portray younger versions of the character at different ages. Plus, Arthur will be attempting to bridge the worlds between the surface dwellers and the Atlanteans, something he's uniquely positioned to do since he's a child of both worlds.
Even though the film doesn't release until the end of the year, it's already receiving early praise from a handful of moviegoers who saw an early cut of the film just a few weeks ago. Early test screening reactions have praised Aquaman's action and its balance between big set pieces and character interactions. Still, that doesn't excuse the fact that DC fans have to wait over a year between DCEU installments; Justice League released in November of last year and Aquaman doesn't arrive in theaters until December.
Warner Bros. has used the downtime to make some personnel changes in DC Films - naming Walter Hamada as president of DC production and Chantal Nong VP of DC production - in an effort to course correct the struggling shared universe, while also laying the foundation for future projects. Producer Charles Roven has promised that the franchise's filmmakers are committed to bringing unique stories to the big screen, and the best way to do that just might be releasing the first live-action Aquaman movie.
