Fully in the loop: James Wan on navigating Aquaman 2 amidst DC overhaul

The last movie of the old DCEU lineup Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom will be hitting theaters worldwide this December.

With the mostly positive reactions from and to the recently launched trailer, director James Wan has been steadily providing a behind-the-scenes look at the movie and its troubled production.

Navigating the Tides of Change

Early this year James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as heads of DC Studios. They announced that they would be rebooting the DC Universe in 2024 with Superman: Legacy thus making the old DCEU storyline obsolete.

In a recent interview, director James Wan talked about working on the movie during the change in management at the studio and the upcoming DC reboot.

Also Read: James Wan reveals that Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom will incorporate elements from the canceled Black Manta spinoff 

"I'm aware of everything that's happening around me. I mean, I use the analogy that I'm living in a house that's getting renovated," he says. "It's hard to not be aware of the renovation that's happening around me."

He went on to add that Aquaman 2's plot is its own thing and stands apart from the rest of the DCEU so the team could freely work on their vision for the project.

"But the beauty about Aquaman is that we've always designed these two films to be within their own world. The advantage of not being hooked into this bigger universe is whatever happens over there doesn't really affect my movie. This film doesn't hook into anything. It lives in its own world."

A Balance of Old and New

While the project had to go through several reshoots due to cut cameos from the other big DC heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman not to mention the changes made due to poor reactions from the early test screen James Wan seems to be confident in the final product.

Also Read: Decoding Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker's cryptic reunion: Is "Rush Hour 4" on the horizon? 

In the sequel, Balck Manta played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gains the powers of the Black Trident, a powerful weapon that holds the powers of Abyssal Dark Magic, which was created by ancient demons of the sea.

The trident gives its user not only the power to command sea creatures but also people as well, this forces Aquaman to team up with his brother Orm aka Ocean Master stop the new threat.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, and Nicole Kidman.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to hit theaters on December 20, 2023.