Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC character Aquaman. Produced by DC Studios, Atomic Monster, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sequel to Aquaman (2018), and the 15th film and final installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, based on a story conceived by Wan, Johnson-McGoldrick, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, and Jason Momoa, who stars as Arthur Curry / Aquaman. The film also stars Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, and Nicole Kidman. In the film, Arthur must work with his half-brother Orm (Wilson) to prevent Black Manta (Abul-Mateen II) from killing his family and using the cursed Black Trident to overheat the world while searching for the lost seventh kingdom of the seas.

## Plot

Several years after becoming king of Atlantis,[a] Arthur Curry has married Mera and had a son, Arthur Jr., while splitting his life between land and sea. Meanwhile, David Kane continues to seek revenge against Arthur for his father's death, working with marine biologist Stephen Shin to find Atlantean artifacts. He finds a black trident that possesses him, its creator promising to give him the power to destroy Arthur.

Five months later, David attacks Atlantis and breaks into its orichalcum reserves to power Shin's Atlantean machines. Arthur learns that this usage of orichalcum, which emits high quantities of greenhouse gases, has not only raised planetary temperatures and caused extreme weather and ocean acidification but nearly caused a planetary extinction when used by an ancient Atlantean kingdom. To learn where David is hiding, Arthur breaks his half-brother Orm out of prison. The two meet with the crime lord Kingfish, who provides information leading to a volcanic island in the South Pacific.

While on the island, Arthur and Orm stumble across the black trident, which Orm reveals was created by Kordax, the brother of King Atlan and ruler of the lost kingdom of Necrus who was imprisoned with blood magic following a failed attempt to usurp the throne. Realizing the blood of any of Atlan's descendants could release Kordax, the two make their way to Amnesty Bay, where they learn David has kidnapped Arthur Jr. The Atlanteans, with a reluctant Shin's help, determine that Necrus's prison is located in Antarctica.

In Necrus, Arthur fights David to stop him from injuring Arthur Jr., and David almost kills Arthur before Mera arrives and saves her husband. Following this, David throws the black Trident at Mera, as she is getting away with her son, but Orm gets hold of the trident before it strikes her. The spirit of Kordax leaves David for Orm, who proceeds to fight Arthur and uses his blood to thaw the ice, freeing Kordax. With his half-brother freed, Arthur throws the black trident at Kordax, who catches it in mid-air, before throwing his trident to destroy the black trident and fatally impale Kordax. With Kordax's magic vanishing, Necrus starts to collapse, and as David hangs from a fissure, he refuses Arthur's help and throws himself down the cliff to his death. The Atlanteans and Shin escape to safety, and Arthur and Mera decide to let Orm go and tell the rest of Atlantis that he died on the condition he remains hidden. Believing the unification of the land and sea is necessary, Arthur reveals Atlantis' existence through an announcement at the United Nations and declares his intentions of making the kingdom a member state.

## Cast

* Jason Momoa as King Arthur Curry/Aquaman
* Patrick Wilson as Prince Orm Marius
* Amber Heard as Queen Mera
* Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane/Black Manta
* Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin
* Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus
* Martin Short as Kingfish
* Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry
* Nicole Kidman as Atlanna
* Jani Zhao as Stingray
* Indya Moore as Karshon
* Vincent Regan as King Atlan
* Pilou Asbæk as King Kordax
* To be confirmed actor as Arthur Curry, Jr.
* To be confirmed actor as Brine King

## Trivia

* This is the fifteenth film in the DC Extended Universe.
* This will be the final film in the DC Extended Universe.
* The sequel was announced a month after the release of Aquaman (2018).
* Aquaman dons a blue stealth suit in this film, which carries the octopus-inspired ability to change color. The blue suit comes from the 1986 Aquaman comics.
* The film's working title is "Necrus". This is the name of an underwater kingdom in the Aquaman comics.
* Will mark Ben Affleck's sixth appearance as Bruce Wayne/Batman, making him the actor with the most live action film appearances as the character.
* The first Aquaman film to be shot taller on 1:90:1 aspect ratio, previous film which as 2:39:1 which taller on IMAX version 1:90:1.
* This is Vincent Regan's third comic-book feature, after 300 (2006) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011).
* The last film in the DC Extended Universe to involve executive producer Walter Hamada following his resignation from DC Films in 2022.
* Black Manta dons a newer sleeker suit in this film, which is based on his Silver Age costume from the Aquaman comics.
* Karshon, better known in DC Comic history as the Shark, is the second shark being to appear in the DC Extended Universe after King Shark in The Suicide Squad (2021).
* Vincent Regan takes over the role of King Atlan from Graham McTavish, who portrayed the character in Aquaman (2018).
* Jason Momoa was the first to pitch a story for an Aquaman (2018) sequel, and he received a story credit, making him the fifth person to receive writing credit for a comic book superhero film that he also starred in, after:
	+ Christopher Reeve - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
	+ Paul Rudd - Ant-Man (2015)
	+ Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool 2 (2018)
	+ Tom Hardy - Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) (Edward Norton rewrote Zak Penn's script for The Incredible Hulk (2008), but did not receive credit.)