Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Wan
Screenplay byDavid Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Story by
  • James Wan
  • David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
  • Jason Momoa
  • Thomas Pa'a Sibbett
Based onCharacters
from DC
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDon Burgess
Edited byKirk Morri
Music byRupert Gregson-Williams
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
Running time
124 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$205 million[2]
Box office$4.5 million[3]

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.

Momoa pitched a story for an Aquaman sequel during production of the first film.[4] Wan did not want to rush a sequel but agreed in January 2019 to oversee development. Johnson-McGoldrick signed on to return as screenwriter a month later, and Wan was confirmed to be returning as director in August 2020. He said the film would expand on Aquaman's worldbuilding, and announced the sequel's title in June 2021. Filming began at the end of the month and concluded in January 2022, taking place in the United Kingdom, Hawaii, Los Angeles, and New Jersey, with additional filming in New Zealand.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premiered at a fan event at the Grove, Los Angeles on December 19, 2023, and was released in the United States on December 22, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film has grossed $4.5 million, and received mixed reviews from critics who considered it inferior to its predecessor and an underwhelming closure to the DCEU.[5]

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

Also appearing are Vincent Regan as Atlan, the first king of Atlantis; Jani Zhao as Stingray; Indya Moore as Karshon;[15] and Pilou Asbæk as Kordax, Atlan's brother who was the creator of the cursed Black Trident and the undead king of the lost kingdom Necrus whose evil spirit possesses Black Manta.[20][21] John Rhys-Davies returns from the first film as the voice of the Brine King.[22]

Production

Development

During the production of Aquaman (2018), star Jason Momoa developed a story pitch for a sequel that he gave to Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich and producer Peter Safran. In October 2018, before the film's release, Momoa said he would be more involved in the development of a potential sequel and expected filming to begin in 2019. Director James Wan said there were several storylines that could spin out from Aquaman, with that film introducing seven underwater kingdoms that had yet to be fully explored.[6][23] Momoa was paid $15 million for his involvement.[24] Emmerich had enough confidence in box office projections for the film by early December to begin discussing a sequel.[25] By the end of January 2019, when Aquaman was set to become the highest-grossing film based on a single DC Comics character, Warner Bros. was in negotiations with Wan to oversee the development and writing of a sequel with the potential to return as director. Geoff Boucher of Deadline Hollywood noted that Wan had been very protective of sequels to his previous films Insidious (2010) and The Conjuring (2013), and was "deeply invested" in the worldbuilding of Aquaman. Wan had previously compared the world of Aquaman to other fictional worlds such as Middle-earth, the Star Wars galaxy, and the Wizarding World.[26]

In early February 2019, Warner Bros. hired Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald to write the script for an Aquaman spin-off film titled The Trench, based on one of the kingdoms introduced in the first film. It was expected to have a smaller budget and not feature the main cast of Aquaman, with Wan and Safran producing. Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter reported then that there had not yet been serious discussions about a direct sequel to Aquaman between the studio, Wan, and Momoa, due to them wanting to have a "breather" first,[27] but several days later he reported that active development on a sequel was getting underway with the first film's co-writer, and frequent Wan collaborator, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick signing on to write the screenplay. Wan and Safran were producing the sequel, though it was still unclear if Wan would direct it.[28] At the end of February, Warner Bros. scheduled Aquaman 2 for release on December 16, 2022.[29] The next month, Safran explained that he and Wan did not want to rush a sequel, and Warner Bros. had been supportive of that which is why the film's release was scheduled for four years after the first film. He added that they were approaching the Aquaman franchise in a similar way to the Conjuring Universe, with spin-offs like The Trench exploring stories about the underwater kingdoms alongside the "mothership" films starring Aquaman. Safran said Wan knew "the architecture, the armoury, the military, the look, the feel, the general vibe" of each of the seven kingdoms and wanted to explore them all in future projects.[30]

In July 2019, Wan was set to direct the film Malignant (2021) before beginning work on Aquaman 2.[31] Patrick Wilson said in November that he had discussed plans for the sequel with Wan and indicated that he would be reprising his role as Orm Marius / Ocean Master from the first film.[7] A month later, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II confirmed that he was returning as David Kane / Black Manta, and was looking to flesh out the character.[11] Johnson-McGoldrick stated in March 2020 that the sequel would not be based on a specific comic book, but was taking inspiration from the Aquaman stories of the Silver Age of Comic Books that featured Black Manta as the villain.[32] Wan was confirmed to be directing the sequel at the virtual DC FanDome event in August, when he said it would be more serious than the first film and feature themes that were more relevant to the real world. He added that it would include more worldbuilding and exploration of the underwater kingdoms,[33] and would feature some horror elements similar to the Trench sequence in the first film.[34] Being able to expand on the worldbuilding of the first film was one of the key reasons that Wan chose to direct the sequel, along with Johnson-McGoldrick's script which Wan felt had a "really cool story to bring all these characters back, and then growing them in a big way".[35]

Amber Heard casting controversy

Amber Heard debunked rumors in November 2020 that she would not be reprising her role as Mera from the first film following allegations of domestic abuse made against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp. That month, a petition to have Heard fired from the franchise received more than 1.5 million signatures, and came after Warner Bros. removed Depp from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) when allegations made by The Sun that Depp abused Heard were ruled to be "substantially true" in a defamation lawsuit filed by Depp against The Sun.[8][36] Safran said they never considered making the film without Heard and would not react to the "pure fan pressure" of the petition and other social media conversations.[37]

However, Heard later stated, during a defamation trial brought against her by Depp over a column in The Washington Post, that "they didn't want to include" her in the film and she had to fight to keep her part. She claimed that revisions were made to the script that reduced her role to a "very pared down version", including removing action sequences for her character, and she was unable to renegotiate her contract;[38] this was an option agreement,[39] and it stipulated that she earn $2 million for the sequel, which was double what she made for the first film.[38] By that point, in May 2022, the petition to have Heard removed from the film had received more than 4 million signatures.[40] DC Films president Walter Hamada testified during the same trial that the studio did consider recasting Mera, but this was due to concerns over Heard's lack of chemistry with Momoa rather than the abuse allegations. He added that it was the studio's philosophy to "hold people to their options" and not to renegotiate contracts, and said the size of Heard's role had not changed during development of the sequel. He explained that the film was always intended to be a "buddy comedy" that focused on the relationship between Aquaman and Orm;[41][42] Wan later stated that the movie was written around that relationship compared to the first movie, which focused on Aquaman's relationship with Mera.[43] The defamation trial's jury found that Heard's Washington Post column had damaged Depp's career and she was ordered to pay him compensation. Social media responses to the trial also heavily favored Depp over Heard, with several memes and videos "mocking her testimony". In June 2022, reports emerged that Heard had been fired from the film following the trial, but these were also debunked.[44] Tatiana Siegel at Variety reported that Heard had been "nearly fired" from the sequel after the first film's release due to concerns over her lack of chemistry with Momoa, but these plans were abandoned after her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk intervened.[45]

Pre-production

Dolph Lundgren said in February 2021 that he was reprising his role as Nereus in the sequel, with filming expected to begin later that year in London.[16] A month later, the planned start date for filming was revealed to be in June, though there was potential for this to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[46] In April, Warner Bros. and DC announced that development on The Trench was no longer moving forward, with the studios not having room for the spin-off on their slate of films and believing Aquaman 2 to be enough of an expansion of the franchise for the time being.[47] Later that month, Pilou Asbæk entered talks to join the film's cast.[48] Momoa said in May that he would begin filming in July,[49] and Wan announced a month later that the sequel was titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,[50] with Temuera Morrison confirming his return as Aquaman's father Thomas Curry.[17] Willem Dafoe was also reported to be reprising his role as Nuidis Vulko from the first film,[9] but he ultimately did not appear, which Wan attributed to scheduling conflicts. The director felt that Vulko's absence allowed for Atlanna's role to be expanded as her son's advisor on how the underwater world works.[51]

Filming

Principal photography began at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in London on June 28, 2021,[16][52] using five stages, the studio backlot, and an external tank.[53] Filming occurred under the working title Necrus,[46] which referenced the lost kingdom of Necrus.[54][55][20] Many of the crew members returned from the first film, including Don Burgess as the cinematographer and Bill Brzeski as production designer,[56][57] while Richard Sale served as the costume designer.[57] In August, Wan said the sequel was strongly influenced by the film Planet of the Vampires (1965),[58] as well as "old-school Euro-horror" and the stop motion monsters created by animator Ray Harryhausen. He said the film had a "very retro" look similar to the horror films of the 1960s, and featured unsettling mechanical creatures which had an "old-school sci-fi and horror" feeling, which was connected to Black Manta's role in the film.[59] Location shooting took place at Saunton Sands beach, Devon, in early September,[53][60] and at Piccadilly in the City of Westminster, London.[53] Later that month, Asbæk's casting was confirmed,[61] portraying King Atlan's brother Kordax;[20][21] Randall Park was revealed to be returning from the first film as Dr. Stephen Shin; Vincent Regan had been cast as the ancient king Atlan, replacing Graham McTavish who briefly portrayed the character in the first film; Jani Zhao was set to portray Stingray, an original character for the film, in her first English-language feature role; and Indya Moore was revealed to be portraying Karshon in the sequel.[15] After shooting 95 percent of the film in the United Kingdom,[62] production moved to Hawaii until December 9,[63] for on-location shooting.[64] Filming also occurred in Jersey City, New Jersey that year.[64] Nicole Kidman was confirmed to have reprised her role as Aquaman's mother Atlanna shortly after that.[19] Filming then moved to Los Angeles, and officially wrapped on January 12, 2022, in Malibu.[62]

Post-production

In March 2022, Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the impacts of the pandemic on the workload of visual effects vendors. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was moved to March 17, 2023, and The Flash was also moved from 2022 to 2023, to allow time for their visual effects work to be completed, while Shazam! Fury of the Gods was moved up to this film's previous release date because it would be ready for release earlier.[65] In June 2022, the final writing credits were revealed: Johnson-McGoldrick received screenplay credit, while the duos of Wan and Johnson-McGoldrick, and Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett received story credit.[66] The next month, Momoa revealed that Ben Affleck was reprising his DC Extended Universe (DCEU) role of Bruce Wayne / Batman for reshoots on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California.[67] Aaron Couch of The Hollywood Reporter reported soon after that Michael Keaton had filmed a scene as his version of Bruce Wayne / Batman from Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Keaton's version was set to be introduced to the DCEU in The Flash before that film's release was pushed to after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's. The scene reportedly confused audiences during test screenings, and Couch felt this was why Affleck joined the reshoots.[68]

In August 2022, after WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery, the studio delayed the film to December 25, 2023, to help spread out the marketing and distribution costs for its feature films.[69] This pushed the film's release to after the planned release of The Flash, which meant there was potential for Keaton's version of Batman to appear in the film instead of Affleck's.[70] In October, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Keaton's cameo had potentially been cut.[71] Around that time, Warner Bros. film chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy told Wan to reduce the budget for reshoots, as the film's budget had reached $205 million during production.[2] By mid-November, Safran had been "fixing" the film, after he had become the co-CEO of the newly formed DC Studios with James Gunn,[72] who had provided notes on the film by the following month.[73] Momoa said in January 2023 that he had shot scenes with a couple of actors as Batman, but was unsure which would be included in the final cut.[74]

In April 2023, the film's release date was moved up five days earlier to December 20, 2023.[75] Between mid-2022 and the start of 2023, two sets of reshoots took place following several test screenings, with De Luca and Abdy involved in editing the film. After further test screenings in early 2023, Gunn consulted on the film and the studios approached a third set of reshoots, which increased the film's budget, to occur in New Zealand over five days in mid-June with Momoa and Wilson, and was completed in four days. By then, both Affleck and Keaton were excluded from the latest cut of the film due to Gunn and Safran's plans to reboot the DCEU into their new franchise the DC Universe (DCU);[76] neither actor appeared in the final version of the film.[77] In September, Wan said the film would not be connected to any previous DCEU films as he was uncertain if it was going to release before or after The Flash.[78] The following month, the film was delayed two days to December 22, 2023.[79] In November, Warner Bros. signed a new multi-year co-financing deal with Domain Capital for their theatrical films, including Lost Kingdom, through that company's $700 million fund for media and entertainment.[80]

Kirk Morri returned as the editor from the first film,[21][57] and Nick Davis served as the visual effects supervisor.[57] Visual effects for the film were provided by Cinesite, DNEG, Industrial Light & Magic, Moving Picture Company, and Scanline VFX.[81]

Music

Rupert Gregson-Williams revealed in August 2021 that he was returning to compose the score for the sequel after doing so for the first film.[82] The song "Deep End" was performed by X Ambassadors and released as a single on November 17, 2023.[83] The soundtrack album for Gregson-Williams' score was released by WaterTower Music on December 22.[84]

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)[84]
No.TitleLength
1."Deep End (featuring X Ambassadors)"3:01
2."Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom"1:59
3."Manta on the Bridge"3:39
4."Call from the Deep"1:50
5."The Real Superheroes"1:11
6."Not Normal"1:37
7."Necrus Rises"3:01
8."Only Child"2:57
9."Grasshoppers"2:44
10."Mera Joins the Chase"1:54
11."Orichalcum"3:45
12."Black Manta"2:04
13."Swamp Walk"1:31
14."Promise Me"1:21
15."You Wanted Your Revenge"1:35
16."My Eternal Night Is Ending"3:31
17."Go and Feast"2:29
18."Necrus Arrival"3:16
19."Your Blood Will Do"1:37
20."Cave In"2:13
21."A True"2:52
22."The Next Chapter"2:22
Total length:52:29

Marketing

Wan and Wilson teased plans for the film in a panel at the virtual DC FanDome event in August 2020.[33] A year later, at DC FanDome 2021, concept art and behind-the-scenes footage from filming were revealed.[12] In February 2022, the first footage from the film was released as part of a teaser for Warner Bros.' 2022 slate of DC films, which also included The Batman, Black Adam, and The Flash (before Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash were delayed to 2023 in the following month).[85][65] Wan promoted the film at Warner Bros.' CinemaCon panel in April 2022, showing a recorded message of Momoa as well as some brief footage from the film.[86] He then revealed more concept art for the film when its release date was delayed in August.[70]

The first trailer was showcased during Warner Bros.' CinemaCon panel in April 2023, showing the "bromance" between Arthur and Orm among other footage.[87] Steve Weintraub at Collider said the footage looked "absolutely massive in scale" and featured several action sequences.[13] The first theatrical trailer was released on September 14, 2023.[88]

Release

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premiered on December 19, 2023, at a fan event screening at the Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles.[89][90][91] This was noted by Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter for not having a red carpet event and afterparty, with Wan and Momoa attending after a series of blue carpet photo calls and small-scale fan events in London, Beijing, and Los Angeles.[89] The film was released in the United States on December 22, 2023,[79] in IMAX, 3D, and 4DX, among other premium large formats (PLFs).[91] It was originally set for release on December 16, 2022,[29] but was moved to March 17, 2023, when Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the workload of visual effects vendors.[65] It was then moved to December 25, 2023, when Warner Bros. Discovery was trying to spread out marketing and distribution costs,[69] before moving forward to December 20,[75] and then pushed back by two days to December 22.[79]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was released alongside Migration, Anyone but You, and The Iron Claw, and is projected to gross around $40 million in its four-day opening weekend.[91] The film earned $4.5 million from Thursday night previews.[92]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 36% of 140 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Jason Momoa remains a capable and committed leading man, but even DC diehards may feel that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom sticks to familiar waters."[93] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 44 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[94] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, tied for the lowest of the DCEU, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an average of three out of five stars, with 50% saying they would definitely recommending the film.[92]

Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, gave the film a one-star review, saying that "where the first Aquaman movie was in enough trouble, ... now we have a terrible sequel".[95] The Independent's Claire Loughrey, giving the film one star, called it "the latest entry in the rogues' gallery of brainless franchise films" and "a damning indictment on [the DCEU's] legacy".[96] Nicholas Barber, writing for the BBC, gave a two-star review, saying how "the only actor who seems to be enjoying himself is Momoa" and commenting on the film's "brutal editing" which "[rushes] through every potentially major event in a blur of montages and voiceovers".[97] David Fear of Rolling Stone called the film "a tonal mess, dogged by VFX that range from 'video-game cut scene' to 'last-minute rush job,' complicated yet curiously thin storytelling, and endlessly aggressive rib-nudging. Even the D.C. die-hards might find this a bit too waterlogged for their tastes."[98] CNN's Brian Lowry said the film "lack[ed] the sense of discovery and world-building that powered the original", adding, "the absence of a fresh-water foe creates different problems, lacking novel elements to distinguish this movie from its superior predecessor."[99]

Wan's direction was commended by Alissa Wilkinson in The New York Times and Phil Owen in GameSpot, with Wilkinson crediting him with creating a film "beyond the paint-by-numbers superhero movies we've been watching for decades now".[100][101] The A.V. Club's Matthew Jackson gave it a B grade, calling it "the kind of film that wants to leave everything it has out on the field, and that produces a kinetic, often scattered, but nonetheless entertaining popcorn movie that truly gives us everything it has, and then some."[102] Tara McNamara of Common Sense Media gave it 3/5 stars, writing, "This action fantasy is best described as 'dumb fun'; you can't help but enjoy yourself, even if you feel brain cells dripping out of your ear."[103]

Future

In December 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Warner Bros. was considering ending the Aquaman film series and recasting Momoa as the character Lobo following Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.[104] In January 2023, Momoa stated that he would "always be Aquaman", but felt that he could also portray other characters.[105] Later that month, DC Studios co-CEOs Gunn and Safran said there was potential for Momoa to reprise his role in the DCU, but a decision on Aquaman had not been made. Gunn confirmed that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, alongside The Flash, would lead into the DCU's first film Superman: Legacy (2025).[106] Wan later said the second film would help set up a sequel and expressed some interest in directing it after a long break.[78] In September 2023, Gunn clarified that anything released before the DCU's first projects in 2024 would not be canon to that franchise, leading journalists to question the possibility of a potential continuation moving forward.[107][108] The following month, Variety reported that no cast members from Zack Snyder's run of DCEU films would reprise their roles in the DCU, including Momoa as Aquaman. However, Momoa was reportedly once again in talks to portray Lobo in either Superman: Legacy or a standalone film.[45] Ahead of the film's release, Momoa said it could be his last time portraying Aquaman after doing so for 12 years, explaining that if it was received well by the audience then a continuation could be possible, but he felt it was "not looking too good" for a return. Safran said at that time that Momoa would "always have a home at DC" and that "we'll see what happens with him beyond" this film.[90]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ As depicted in Aquaman (2018)

References

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