When James Wan’s Aquaman hit theaters in 2018, to say it was a box office success would be an understatement. It raced to the $1 billion mark and surpassed The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest grossing movie ever adapted from DC comic books. Naturally, Warner Bros. was keen to expand the franchise, and not just with direct sequels.

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In addition to Aquaman 2, Warner Bros. announced a horror-tinged spin-off about the Kingdom of the Trench, aptly titled The Trench. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. called off The Trench, but clarified that it could be revived in the future, so it’s not dead entirely. For a multitude of reasons, the studio should still make The Trench movie.

The Trench Sequence Was One Of Aquaman’s Most Thrilling Set Pieces

Aquaman fights the Trench

The sequence in which the Kingdom of the Trench is introduced in Aquaman is one of the movie’s most thrilling set pieces. It arrives totally unexpectedly, as Arthur and Mera sail out into the middle of the ocean and suddenly find their boat under attack by bloodthirsty creatures that drag them underwater.

The promise of a whole movie about these frightful monsters preying on unsuspecting seafarers is just too tantalizing for Warner Bros. to leave the project to gather dust.

The DCEU Needs More Spin-Offs To Round Out The Universe

Aquaman Trailer The Trench

While the world of the MCU has been clearly established through years of feature films, TV spin-offs, and even a few “one-shots,” the wider DCEU still has yet to be properly rounded out.

The first step toward fleshing out this universe is releasing spin-offs like The Trench to expand the worldbuilding. The upcoming Wonder Woman spin-off about the other Amazonian warriors of Themyscira is another prime example.

James Wan Is Primarily A Horror Filmmaker (And A Great One)

Patrick Wilson with painting behind him

James Wan has made the leap into big-budget action blockbusters recently with Furious 7 and, of course, Aquaman, and he’s proven himself to be great at making these kinds of movies, but his background is in horror.

Wan was attached to The Trench as a producer, and the project could’ve taken him back to his macabre roots. Movies like Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring have proven Wan to be a damn fine horror filmmaker.

This Franchise Needs To Pay Off Some Of Its Setups

Robin's costume in Batman v Superman

The DCEU needs to start paying off its setups, or at least some of them. As it stands, the franchise is filled with Easter eggs that were never paid off: the Joker murdered Robin, "Lois Lane is the key," Batman fights an evil black-clad Superman in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, etc.

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The Kingdom of the Trench sequence in Aquaman is certainly exciting, but it’s not necessary for the story at hand. It was there to set up a future movie, and for once, that future movie should be made.

Being Deep Beneath The Ocean Is Already Terrifying

Aquaman Pursued by Trench

The best high-concept horror movies layer an otherworldly threat over a relatable situation that’s already terrifying. Before the mutants show up to eat the protagonists of The Descent, they’re trapped in an uncharted cave, which is a petrifying scenario on its own.

The monsters are the supernatural icing on top of a very real terror. The same could go for The Trench, because being deep beneath the ocean is already scary before hungry creatures with sharp teeth show up.

DC Needs To Explore New Genres

Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Steve Agee and Sylvester Stallone as King Shark, The Suicide Squad

Trying out different genre frameworks with each project has been doing wonders for the MCU. Marvel has yet to produce a full-on horror film, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness promises to be just that.

Much like their closest competitors, DC could benefit from exploring new genres. The Trench could join the growing roster of DCEU genre material. Shazam! was a lighthearted comedy and The Suicide Squad is a guys-on-a-mission war movie.

It Could Play Like An Unofficial Piranha Movie

Girl and a piranha on the poster for Piranha 1978

There are no great movies in the Piranha franchise, but the premise of a creature feature with swarms of flesh-eating fish (who somehow made their way into a water park in the last one) has unrealized potential.

Since there are a bunch of piranha-like creatures in the Kingdom of the Trench, the mooted Trench movie could play like an unofficial installment in the Piranha franchise (but hopefully good).

Aquaman Just Scratched The Surface Of The DCEU’s Undersea Worldbuilding

Aquaman Trailer Battle

Although the final battle of Aquaman united every single kingdom in a widespread conflict, the movie barely scratched the surface of the DCEU’s undersea worldbuilding.

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These kingdoms were all introduced in Aquaman, but they’re all fascinating enough to anchor their own movies – starting with a Trench movie. The concept of monsters lurking deep beneath the ocean’s surface is delightfully Lovecraftian.

There Are A Ton Of Great Candidates To Direct

Dani ardorned as the may queen in Midsommar.

While it was initially believed that James Wan would direct The Trench after helming the Aquaman sequel, he was actually only ever attached as a producer. The plan was to find another filmmaker to bring Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald’s script to the screen.

There are a bunch of great horror filmmakers working today who could do wonders with a big-budget scary movie about the terrors of the deep: Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Ben Wheatley, Robert Eggers, Ana Lily Amirpour – maybe even Wan himself if he changes his mind.

It Could Pave The Way For More DC Horror Films

John Constantine holds fire in his hands in the comics

If the DCEU takes a chance on a Trench-based horror movie and it becomes a surprise hit at the box office, then it could pave the way for more horror films set in the DC universe.

There are a bunch of terrifying DC characters that could be used as a jumping-off point for a horror comic book movie: the Scarecrow, Swamp Thing, Solomon Grundy, Constantine, Victor Zsasz, the Mad Hatter (most of DC’s scariest characters are Batman villains).

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