James Wan explains how he handled the changes in the DCU in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
After directing the first part in 2018, James Wan I already had enough experience with underwater photography Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom a challenge. The director could not imagine that the true complications of the film would have nothing to do with the technical aspects.
After five years and several delays, the Aquaman The sequel will finally hit theaters in December, albeit in a very different context than the first installment debuted in. Last year, following Warner Bros.’ merger with Discovery, the company’s CEO announced a series of changes that would affect a large portion of the franchises, particularly the DC Universe.
After the founding of DC Studios and the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as heads of the department overseeing all projects related to comic book brands, the co-CEOs began planning their new universe, focusing on the first phase titled focused gods and monstersin which there is no room for the king of the seven seas for the time being.
Jason Momoa’s future as Arthur Curry is a mystery, and fans will have to wait for the film’s premiere and his appearance to make a decision on whether he will continue to be part of the new canon or whether a new actor will be behind the character . in case the character makes his debut in the new DCU. But Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom still has to adapt to the future, and it hasn’t been easy for James Wan to endure so many changes.
How will Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom approach the future of the DCU?
During a conversation with The Hollywood ReporterWan revealed that the story had to be revised several times due to the events at Warner Bros. Discovery and that this was one of the biggest challenges he faced while working on the project:
“I had to make adjustments all the time. The DCU has gone through many different versions, and one of the challenges with this film was keeping track of what’s going on. Luckily, the Aquaman universe is pretty far removed from the rest of the world. We’re visiting a lot of different underwater realms that aren’t necessarily related to what’s happening with the other films and characters, so we’re on our own in that regard. That way I can just tell my story without being influenced too much, but at the same time I have to be aware of what happened.”
aquaman 2 isn’t the only film that falls between the old vision of the DC Universe and the future one. The Lightning And Blue Beetle, coming soon to theaters, faced the same challenge. However, the film starring Ezra Miller will be the one that acts as a kind of soft reboot to make way for the new universe.
in turn Blue Beetle is the introduction of the character played by Xolo Mariduena (Cobra Kai) so it will be much easier for Jaime Reyes to adapt to the new canon than to the characters that already existed and were part of it snyderverse.
