Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the highly anticipated sequel to Jason Momoa’s maiden outing as Arthur Curry in director James Wan’s 2018 film Aquaman. And, contrary to popular belief, we will not see Arthur again until 2022. (especially with the DC Comics teaser video that showed what was up next for the franchise in 2022). However, it was confirmed today that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will now be released in 2023.
Variety reports that the picture was delayed owing to COVID-19-related production difficulties in the visual effects section. The film’s release date has been pushed back from Christmas 2022 to March 17, 2023. While it is not a major push, it does mean that we will not see much of Aquaman this year.
We haven’t seen Arthur in a larger format in a long time. We received a deeper look into the introduction of Arthur/Aquaman with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but that was the last film appearance we saw from him as COVID delayed filming and shooting several of the DCEU movies we’ve been waiting to see.
That’s not to say we didn’t see any of Momoa in the role of Arthur in 2022. We just had a terrific scene on Peacemaker with Aquaman and John Cena’s Chris Smith when the Justice League arrives too late to assist Peacemaker to stop the Butterflies and Peacemaker comments on Aquaman’s, uh…sleeping arrangements with the fish. So we got another little glimpse of Arthur, but we want more!
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It’s not unexpected that release dates are continuously being pushed back owing to COVID delays. While several films were completed and ready for distribution, others were postponed due to the inability to film, so having things repeatedly pushed back will be the norm for the foreseeable future. It appeared like everything would hold up, especially with the recent release of Warner Bros.’ The Batman, but a shift to finish out the movies and their CGI work makes a lot of sense.
So, we’ll have to wait until 2023 to return to Arthur Curry’s planet (or ocean), but in the meantime, there’s plenty of other DCEU content on the way. So maybe we’ll still get to watch Momoa’s Aquaman this year. If not, what better way to enjoy the arrival of spring than with Arthur Curry?
Aquaman 2 Release Date
Warner Bros. has revealed that the sequel will be released in theatres on March 17, 2023, four years after the first film.
The sequel’s pre-production was supposed to begin in 2020, but we don’t know if that’s still the case given the current global situation. In any case, there’s still plenty of time before the scheduled release date.
The Trench spin-off was supposed to be released before the sequel, but there has been no further word on that project.
Aquaman 2 Cast
There hasn’t been any official casting announcement for the sequel yet, but it would be a huge surprise if Jason Momoa didn’t return as Arthur Curry, AKA Aquaman, and Amber Heard didn’t reprise her role as Mera.
Patrick Wilson has confirmed his return as Orm and revealed that he has been “somewhat briefed” on what’s next for the exiled King of Atlantis, teasing: “I can tell you that even [Wan’s] concepts for Aquaman 2 are pushing it even further.”
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has also confirmed his return, following the setup for Black Manta to be the main villain of the sequel.
“Black Manta will return, hopefully causing a lot more problems than he did in the first one,” he hinted.
While we don’t know for certain who will return for the sequel, we may expect to see Willem Dafoe’s Vulko, Nicole Kidman’s Atlanna, and Dolph Lundgren’s Nereus.
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- Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman
- Amber Heard as Mera
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane/Black Manta
- Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna
- Patrick Wilson as Orm
- Randall Park as Dr Stephen Shin
- Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus
- Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry
- Indya Moore as Karshon
- Jani Zhao as Stingray
- Vincent Regan as Atlan
- Pilou Asbæk as TBC
Aquaman 2 Plot
We knew how the film would finish even before it was released in theatres, thanks to Momoa.
“He was born with the abilities, but he never truly harnessed or refined them,” he remarked of Arthur Curry. “Of course, [the first film] is his entire origin narrative.” We’ve seen him in Justice League, which is only about two minutes of his previous existence, so we know where he came from.
“I think he had these powers when he was a little boy and didn’t develop them, so this whole journey of him becoming the king… the last frame of this movie you’re going to see him become what he’s intended to be.”
And, indeed, at the end of the film, Arthur defeats Orm and ascends to the throne of Atlantis, aided by Mera. This occurs shortly after he initially dons Aquaman’s famous orange-and-green suit.
As a result, the sequel is anticipated to begin in the early days of the new King Aquaman’s rule, dealing with the first peril that he faces as Lord of Atlantis. Whatever it is, Momoa claims the entire thing is “planned out.”
Aside from that, we don’t know much about what to expect in the sequel, but the writer has hinted at where we can find some teases.
“We’re not adopting any specific comic book tale,” Johnson-McGoldrick informed a fan on Twitter. “But if you want to know the mood we’re looking for, pick up pretty much any Silver Age story with Black Manta.”
Speaking at the DC FanDome in August 2020, Wan hinted at how the sequel will vary, and Wilson got him to affirm that it will visit “new realms.”
“The second one is a little bit more serious, a little bit more relevant in today’s environment.” “It wants to go there,” Wan explained.
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Aquaman 2 Trailer
For a trailer, we’ll have to wait almost as long as Arthur did to see his mother, Atlanna. Expect nothing till late 2021.
We do know that Jason Momoa’s beard will be back by then.