The fandom ran high following the billon dollar success story that was James Wan’s Aquaman. The ceremony continues into the new year and with events now setting up at Celebrity Fan Fest where Princess Mera herself, Austin native Amber Heard will join Aquaman star Jason Momoa for her first-ever comic con appearance.
Warner Bros. Pictures unleashed a beast of an extended trailer ahead of the upcoming December 21 release of DC adaptation, Aquaman. It’d be intellectually dishonest if one decided to skew from the importance of just how this film needs to perform at the box office after Justice League and I was a little doubtful about this film at first, but the footage shown here gets deep into the world that Geoff Johns and director James Wan are aiming to introduce to the DC fan populace of moviegoers, and it’s as impressive as it so far needs to be to get some eyes looking.
Warner Bros. went two-for-two this weekend with at least two of its properties at SDCC 2018, one of them being the latest trailer premiere for James Wan’s new adaptation, Aquaman. The DCEU hasn’t been easy for the studio to attain a pulse for in bringing a consensus from DC fans, some of whom still may keen on seeing actor Jason Momoa don the role after Justice League. The good news is that the role still suits him more than adequately.
Veering off of superhero movies for this last one, Kodi Smit-McPhee has an extra mouth to feed in Albert Hughes’s striking new adventure, Alpha. Opening on March 2, the film is set in the last Ice Age where an injured young boy and a wounded wolf abandoned by its pack become unlikely allies as they brave the elements and unrelenting dangers of the wilderness to find their way home. I was compelled by the trailer when I first saw it and best of all, I love stories about animals and humans co-existing together. This is gonna be fun.
I’m of the opinion that something terribly needs to be done about the whole Power Rangers movie-not-getting-a-sequel thing. It bowed recently in China to the tune of $1.2 million dollar which apparently hasn’t helped it to top its current global box office gross enough for a follow-up, and I generally enjoyed the film here in the U.S. during its run.
Say what you will about the most recent Justice League trailer; Warner Bros. Pictures’s latest ensemble DCU succession still may need sharpening but there’s no question that one of the biggest selling factors has been actor Jason Momoa in the role of 75-year long celebrated DC character, Aquaman. Thus, per the studio’s teetering, albeit cohesive efforts to hold together something true and gold for comic book fans and moviegoers, the official solo branch-out for the acclaimed ruler of Atlantis and protector of Earth has begun principal photography under helmer James Wan (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7”).
Plot details are pretty much as good as Googleable at this juncture as they are not included in Wednesday’s presser. The cast so far confirms the rest of the roster as follows: Amber Heard (“Justice League,” “Magic Mike XXL”) as Mera; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (“Platoon,” “Spider-Man 2”) as Vulko; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Green Lantern”) as Tom Curry; Dolph Lundgren (“The Expendables” films) as Nereus; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming “Baywatch,” Netflix’s “The Get Down”) as Black Manta; with Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring” films, “Watchmen”) as Orm/Ocean Master; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“The Hours,” “Lion”) as Atlanna.
Peter Safran is producing with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Rob Cowan, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Wan is joined by a team which includes familiars from his own projects like Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“The Conjuring 2,” “Forrest Gump”), his five-time editor Kirk M. Morri (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7,” the “Insidious” films) and production designer Bill Brzeski (“Furious 7”). They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett (“The Matrix” trilogy; “The Amazing Spider-Man”), along with Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Charles Gibson (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2”) and VFX supervisor Kelvin McIlwain (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise).
Filming will take place along the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, and extensively at the backlot and all nine VRS soundstages at Village Roadshow Studios, including the largest soundstage in the Southern Hemisphere, Stage 9. In addition, Aquaman will also roll cameras in Newfoundland, Sicily and Tunisia.
Formerly slated for October 2018, Aquaman is due for a December 21, 2018 release from Warner Bros. Pictures. Check out the official logo below!
Action star Dolph Lundgren’s return to the big screen is probably one of the biggest news bits to arrive this week, and as of Wednesday with director James Wan set to begin production in Australia this May for Aquaman. The Jason Momoa starrer will see Lundgren starring as King Nereus of the aquatic kingdom of Xebel who stands as a romantic rival in competition for the affections of our title hero’s love interest, Mera, played by Amber Heard.
Rounding out the cast are Nicole Kidman as Aquaman’s mother, Aquaman’s antagonist half-brother, Orm played by Patrick Wilson as Orm, Willem Dafoe in the supporting role of Dr. Vulko, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the villainous Black Manta, with Temuera Morrison starring as Aquaman’s father. The DC Comics adaptation from Warner Bros. Pictures is slated for release on December 21, 2018 following the character’s ensemble outing in Zack Snyder’s Justice League this November.
Lundgren is currently appearing in hijacking thriller, Altitude from Lionsgate Premiere and is soon expected to star in Pasha Patriki’s 2018 directing debut, Black Water, which sees the actor reuniting with fellow action star familiar Jean-Claude Van Damme.
First off, if you haven’t been to Netflix and tuned in to watch The Get Down, I honestly don’t know what it is you do with life. You’ve failed at life and you desperately need some redemption as it’s one of the best coming-of-age dramas to date with some of the best performances by far.
One such comes from actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who plays one of the more seedy characters of the show and before long, the Sidney Hall co-star will be returning to the big screen for Bawaytch alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron this summer before appearing in The Greatest Showman this December with Hugh Jackman. In the meantime, you can also tack the role of supervillain to Abdul-Mateen II’s credentials as per the latest trade news confirming his role as Black Manta in James Wan’s Aquaman for Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Entertainment.
The news is just one of two exclusive updates from THR with word that Lion co-star, actress Nicole Kidman is in talks to star as Atlanna, the mother of our title hero inspired by the DC Comics superhero which first arose in 1941. Frontier star, actor Jason Momoa made a cameo debut in the role of the Atlantean superhero last year in Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice and will reprise the role this November in what is expected to be the first of two forthcoming Justice League movies.
Officially rounding out the current cast next to Momoa and Abdul-Mateen II are Amber Heard in the role of Mera, Willem Dafoe as Dr. Vulko and Patrick Wilson as Aquaman’s villanous half brother, Orm. Filming for Aquaman is expected to commence this April in Australia and currently sits on the continually evolving DCEU calendar with more titles in store before and after its slated October 5, 2018 release.
Word has it that things are in a little bit of upheaval at Warner Bros. where it’s being reported that Seth Grahame-Smith has left The Flash citing “creative differences”. BirthMoviesDeath reported the news along with word that The Conjuring 2 helmer James Wan may well leave Aquaman following his attachment nearly a year ago in the wake of the billion dollar success that was Furious Seven.
The updates come on the heels of the latest box office results of director Zack Snyder’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice which has grossed $860 million globally. Box office figures be damned, however, that didn’t slow down the mixed-bag of reviews that have reportedly thrown the studio off of its axis with Snyder already in progress with filming for the first of two Justice League films opening in 2017 and 2019.
The Flash, apart from its current TV run with a different actor, still has Ezra Miller cast in the title role with a date slated for March 16, 2018 as one of a current slate of titles outlining a cineverse based on DC Comics creations, while Aquaman is slated for the following June; Personally, should he leave Aquaman, I hope that gives him more breathing space to begin working on Mortal Kombat as one of many titles he’s currently attached to produce. That film should have already happened by now and it’s been WAY too long.
UPDATE (5:54pm EST): Official press release on Aquaman below
Time will tell if and when Wan will be made an offer, and should he accept, he will be helming from either scripts by Will Beall and Kurt Johnstad. As for Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, a teaser for that one could arrive as early as the theatrical release of Mad Max: Fury Road on May 15.
There are a lot of rumors that continue to swarm the internet, especially when it comes to movies. A lot of it is fan-induced static that turns out to be hype cheese, but the rest of it still leaves a lot to the imagination, and that includes previous mentions of actor Jason Momoa for a role in director Zack Snyder‘s new film, Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
For the most part, the Game Of Thrones and Conan actor has been quite vocal about denying the issue to the point of expressing his irritation, even as Warner Bros. has yet to release an official statement. However, it seems that one reason or another, HitFix is able to confirm the actor will, at the very least, get a cameo role as Aquaman in Snyder‘s new film, a move which could reflect on the events of last year’s Man Of Steel regarding the subaqueous destruction caused by the world engine at the hands of General Zod.
Folks are excited to see this could be happening, and I personally hope Warner Bros. will provide an official statement to settle the issue once and for all, particularly so that Momoa won’t be so annoyed. I can imagine its frustrating being on non-disclosure terms. I’m a news writer and like many, I’ve learned only a few things in the past year I can’t talk about publicly because it’s not within my power to do so unless otherwise confirmed. So, no pressure from me J. I’m right there with you. Now let’s squash this WB! We await your announcement!
Momoa can next be seen in his directorial debut, Road To Paloma, the week of July 11 in select theaters and on home platforms starting July 15. Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice releases May 6, 2016.
H/T: Moviepilot
You must be logged in to post a comment.