Posted in: Aquaman, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Aquaman 2, aquaman and the lost kingdom, dc, dc studios, the trench, Warner Bros, warner bros discovery

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Bringing In Elements Of The Trench

Director James Wan has confirmed that elements from the canceled horror-themed spin-off film The Trench made it into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

After Aquaman lit the box office on fire at the end of 2018, it really wasn't surprising that Warner Bros. decided that the best possible thing to do was to take the only thing not called Wonder Woman that was working in the DC universe [at the time] and try to build off of it. So it really wasn't that much of a surprise when they wasted no time announcing the sequel in January 2019, which would eventually be titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, set to come out this December after many delays. However, just a month later, in February 2019, a spin-off was announced titled The Trench. The film would lean into director James Wan's horror roots and focus on the deep sea creatures that we only saw glimpses of in the first movie. However, the chaos of Warner Bros. claimed yet another victim with The Trench, and despite it sounding like an awesome idea [we have no business being in the ocean, the deep ocean is terrifying and requires little elaboration to make it terrifying, I will not be taking questions], by April 2021 the project was canceled. However, it sounds like Wan was able to take some elements from the canceled film and bring them into Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, according to an interview with Collider.

"We had developed the Trench movie, and ultimately, like most things, you develop — if they work out, great; if they don't, then that's fine as well," Wan explained. "We didn't want that project to potentially step on the Aquaman films, but we came up with a lot of really interesting ideas and really cool stuff that I felt we could use it in this one. And so, with the Trench movie, it was going to be a secret Black Manta, right? Initially, we announced it as a Trench movie, but ultimately, we wanted to surprise the fans because that was going to be a stand-alone Black Manta movie. And so when that didn't happen, some of those ideas kind of found its way into this there."

As someone who was pretty lukewarm on the first Aquaman and isn't super excited about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, I was personally really bummed that The Trench was canceled. Comic book movies blending themselves with other genres is how we keep all of this interesting. Marvel was doing an okay job of this for a while, but their films have started to blend together. So it's good to hear at least elements of what was a really interesting idea are in this new film.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa—along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman—return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father's death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time, Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman's family and the world from irreversible destruction.

All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman's half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother's reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis' Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father's death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.

Directed by Wan, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is produced by Peter Safran, Wan, and Rob Cowan. The executive producers are Galen Vaisman and Walter Hamada. The screenplay is by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, from a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jason Momoa & Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, based on characters from DC, Aquaman created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents An Atomic Monster / A Peter Safran Production of A James Wan Film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, set to open in theaters internationally beginning 20 December 2023 and in North America on December 20, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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