Aquaman

Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the sixth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by James Wan, with a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, from a story by Geoff Johns, Wan and Beall, it stars Jason Momoa as the title character, with Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman in supporting roles. It is the third live-action theatrical film featuring the title character, following *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice* (2016) and *Justice League* (2017) and the first full-length feature film centered around the character. In *Aquaman*, Arthur Curry, the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, must step forward to lead his people against his half-brother, Orm, who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms against the surface world.

## Plot

In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Atlanna, the queen of the underwater nation of Atlantis, during a storm. They eventually fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who is born with the power to communicate with marine lifeforms. Atlanna is forced to abandon her family and return to Atlantis, entrusting her advisor, Nuidis Vulko, with the mission of training Arthur. Under Vulko's guidance, Arthur becomes a skilled warrior but rejects Atlantis upon learning that Atlanna was executed for having a half-breed son.

In the present, several months after Steppenwolf's invasion,[N 1] Arthur confronts a group of pirates attempting to hijack a Russian Akula-class submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane, dies during the confrontation while his son, David, vows revenge. Meanwhile, Orm, King of Atlantis and Arthur's half-brother, attempts to convince King Nereus of Xebel to help him unite Atlantis and attack the surface world for harming the oceans. Nereus points out that if Orm succeeds in uniting Atlantis he will receive the title of Ocean Master, commander of the most powerful force on the planet. Their meeting is interrupted when another Russian Akula submarine attacks the meeting place, apparently in retaliation for the previous submarine's sinking. Orm succeeds in destroying it and the attack convinces Nereus to join forces with Orm to defend the oceans. He swears allegiance to Orm's cause, but his daughter Mera, who has been betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and journeys to the surface to ask Arthur for help, earning his trust by saving Thomas from a tsunami sent by Orm. Arthur reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Vulko, who urges Arthur to find the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis' first ruler, in order to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm's men and Mera and Vulko escape unseen, while Arthur is captured.

Arthur is chained and presented before Orm, who blames Arthur and the surface for Atlanna's death. He offers Arthur an opportunity to leave forever, but Arthur instead challenges him to a duel in a ring of underwater lava. Orm gains the upper hand and nearly kills Arthur before Mera rescues him. Together, Arthur and Mera journey to the Sahara desert where the trident was forged and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, Italy, where they retrieve the trident's coordinates. Meanwhile, Orm meets David, revealing that the submarine that had attacked them previously was in fact the same one David hijacked and that Orm had hired him to hijack the Russian nuclear submarine so that he could stage a false flag attack from the surface, making it seem like Orm's cause for war is justified and causing King Nereus to side with him. Orm provides David with a prototype Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur, imprisons Vulko after revealing knowledge of his betrayal, and coerces the Atlantean Kingdom of the Fishermen to pledge their allegiance to him and his campaign against the surface.

After modifying Orm's technology, a fully armored David rechristens himself as Black Manta and ambushes Arthur and Mera in Sicily, grievously injuring Arthur before being thrown off a cliff to his apparent death. Mera nurses Arthur's wounds as they journey to the trident's whereabouts, and encourages him to embrace his destiny as a hero. Arriving at their destination, Arthur and Mera are attacked by the Trench, amphibious monsters, but manage to fend them off and reach a wormhole that transports them to an uncharted sea located at the center of the Earth. There, they are unexpectedly reunited with Atlanna, who was sacrificed to the Trench for her crimes but managed to escape and reach the uncharted sea, where she has been stranded ever since.

Arthur faces Karathen, a mythical leviathan and keeper of the trident, and voices his determination to protect both Atlantis and the surface, proving his worth and reclaiming the trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Orm and his allies lead an army against the crustacean forces of the Kingdom of the Brine with the intent of completing Orm's surface battle preparations. As Orm declares himself Ocean Master, Arthur and Mera, with the assistance of Karathen and the Trench, intervene and lead an army of marine creatures in a battle against him. Orm's followers renounce their obedience to him and embrace Arthur as the true king upon learning he wields the trident. Arthur defeats Orm in combat but chooses to spare his life and Orm accepts his fate after discovering Arthur has found and rescued Atlanna. Atlanna returns to the surface to reunite with Thomas while Arthur ascends to the throne with Mera by his side.

In a mid-credits scene, David is rescued by Dr. Stephen Shin, a scientist and conspiracy theorist obsessed with the Atlanteans, and agrees to lead Shin there in exchange for his help in his revenge on Arthur.

## Cast

* Jason Momoa as King Arthur Curry/Aquaman
* Amber Heard as Mera
* Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko
* Patrick Wilson as King Orm Marius/Ocean Master
* Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus
* Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane/Black Manta
* Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna
* Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry
* Ludi Lin as Captain Murk
* Michael Beach as Jesse Kane
* Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin
* Djimon Hounsou as King Ricou (voice)
* Natalia Safran as Queen Rina
* Sophia Forrest as Princess Scales
* Graham McTavish as King Atlan
* Julie Andrews as Karathen (voice)
* John Rhys-Davies as Brine King (voice)
* Andrew Crawford as Ricou and Brine King (motion capture)

## Sequel

### Sequel

Aquaman will be followed by a sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which is scheduled for 2023.

### Animated Miniseries

In January 2020, a three-part animated mini-series based on Aquaman was announced, with James Wan set to serve as executive producer, and to premiere on HBO Max. Although non-canonical to the wider DCEU, *Aquaman: King of Atlantis* would be set after the events of Wan's 2018 DCEU *Aquaman* film, explicitly referencing its events throughout, and feature the voices of Cooper Andrews, Gillian Jacobs, Thomas Lennon, and Dana Snyder respectively replacing Momoa, Heard, Wilson, and Dafoe in their roles. On February 17, 2021, the Television Critics Association had a press junket with HBO Max, in which a promotional image was released. On September 1, 2021, it was announced the series will air on Cartoon Network as part of the *ACME Night* block. On September 10, 2021, it was announced it will be released on October 14, 2021.

### Canceled Spin-Off

In February 2019, Warner Bros. announced that a "horror-tinged" spin-off called *The Trench* was in development, with Wan producing and Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald writing the script. The plot would focus on the amphibious monsters that Arthur and Mera faced in *Aquaman*, while Black Manta would act as the film's protagonist, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reprising his role. In April 2021, Warner Bros. decided to cancel the project, though stated that it may be revived in the future.

## Trivia

* This is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe.
* This is the fifth highest grossing film of 2018.
* This is the first theatrical film centering on Aquaman.
* This is the third DC film to gross a billion dollars the others being The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises and the fourth being Joker.
* This is the first DC film to gross a billion dollars that is not a Batman property.
* This is the first DCEU movie to cross a billion dollars at the worldwide box office and the first DC comics movie to cross a billion since The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
* Nicole Kidman immediately accepted the role of Atlanna when Writer and Director James Wan said that she could wear "Mother-of-Pearl and be a Mermaid Warrior."
* Jason Momoa specifically requested Temuera Morrison, one of Momoa's acting idols, for the role of Arthur's father Tom Curry.
* James Wan revealed he had a choice of choosing to direct between The Flash (2022) and Aquaman, but chose Aquaman because he is the underdog.
* This was director James Wan's third non-horror film and his first superhero film.
* Dolph Lundgren is the first actor to star in both the Arrowverse and the DCEU.
* This is the 2nd DC film that Nicole Kidman starred in, the 1st being Batman Forever.
* This is Patrick Wilson's second role in a DC Extended Universe film. He previously portrayed the President of the United States in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
* It is the third live-action theatrical film featuring Aquaman, following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), and the first full-length feature film centered around the character.
* This movie was based on Geoff Johns' 2011 "Aquaman" comic.
* Nicole Kidman (Queen Atlanna) had previously declined the role of Queen Hippolyta in Wonder Woman (2017).
* Before its initial release in the United States, this movie surpassed every solo Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in the Chinese box-office - only seven days after its release.
* Jason Momoa was surprised to be cast as Aquaman because the character in the comics is a blond-haired Caucasian, who looks a lot like his co-star Patrick Wilson. Executive Producer Zack Snyder wanted to break the barrier of not having any mixed-race heroes, and knew that Momoa was the only choice to play Aquaman.
* This movie marked the fifth collaboration between Writer and Director James Wan and Patrick Wilson, after Insidious (2010), The Conjuring (2013), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), and The Conjuring 2 (2016).
* This is the first DC Extended Universe movie shot entirely with digital cameras. Nearly all previous installments were shot solely on 35mm (and partially 70mm IMAX film for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)).
* Leonardo DiCaprio was going to produce this movie via his production company.
* Jason Momoa publicly expressed interest in Zack Snyder directing.
* Black Manta is given the name David Kane in the film, while in the comics his name is David Hyde.
* Michael Kenneth Williams and Michael Jai White expressed interest in playing Black Manta.
* Djimon Hounsou appeared in the DC Extended Universe as the voice of King Ricou in this movie, as the wizard in Shazam! (2019), and also in Constantine (2005) as Midnite. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Djimon was Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Captain Marvel (2019). He also voiced T'Challa in the animated version of Black Panther.
* Jason Momoa and Michael Beach appeared on Stargate: Atlantis (2004).
* In the past, Peter Jackson was approached to direct this movie twice. But turned it down because he stated that he is not interested in superhero movies.
* Producer Peter Safran's wife Natalia plays Queen Rina.
* This is John Rhys-Davies' fifth comic book role after The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), Batman: The Animated Series: The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy (1992), Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (1994), and Justice League (2001).
* This is Patrick Wilson's second role in a DC Extended Universe movie. He portrayed the President of the United States in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
* This is the third comic book movie for Temuera Morrison (after Green Lantern (2011) and Barb Wire (1996)), Dolph Lundgren (after The Punisher (1989) and Arrow (2012)), and Willem Dafoe (after Spider-Man (2002) and Death Note (2017)).
* Jeff Nichols and Noam Murro were considered to direct.
* Patrick Wilson (King Orm) is the fourth actor from Watchmen (2009) to appear in the DC Extended Universe, after Carla Gugino (Kelor in Man of Steel (2013)), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Thomas Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)), and Billy Crudup (Henry Allen in Justice League (2017)). Before being adapted to film, "Watchmen" was also a comic book series published by DC Comics.
* Jason Momoa appeared on Baywatch (1989), and his co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II appeared in Baywatch (2017).
* Patrick Wilson and Michael Beach appeared in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), also written and directed by James Wan.
* Willem Dafoe and Temuera Morrison appeared in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997).