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

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom "Has a Very Retro, '60s Horror Look"

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan says the film's "design foundation" is "a very retro, '60s horror look."

If there was one thing you could say about the first Aquaman, the film was pretty wild-looking. The way that director James Wan decided to show Atlantis, not to mention the brief moments when we got to see what the deep ocean creatures would look like, showed that the ocean of this world is just as varied as the ocean in the real world. Wan has compared this film to several other familiar genres, including calling it a "buddy comedy" several times. However, that isn't the "design foundation," as he explained in a new interview with Empire. The design will be something that fans of Wan are much more familiar with and that horror. Specifically, Wan is citing is citing old school horror.

"There was an element of horror in the first film," Wan explains. "But this second movie definitely has more of that." This time, the references are old-school Euro-horror and Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion monsters. … The Lost Kingdom has a very retro, '60s horror look."

Wan went on to say that the giant mechanical squid, which we have seen shots of, is a henchman of Manta, and it is Manta who really helps the film lean into that horror aspect. Wan said, "We have this huge action set-piece where Arthur and Orm fight [Black Manta's] henchmen, using the 'Octobot' – this mechanical squid thing. That was really fun to shoot." The summary of the film says that Manta finds the Black Trident. However, Wan teased that "In his quest to find ways to destroy Arthur, Black Manta… stumbles onto something," which could just be referencing the Trident or maybe there is something else that will be rising from the depths of the ocean. The ocean is terrifying, so Wan wouldn't have to try too hard to make something look like something out of a horror movie.

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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