Aquaman 2director James Wan discussed how the sequel relates to the DCU’s always-changing status. Wan is best known for his work in horror films like theSawand theConjuringfranchises andM3GAN. He started directing blockbuster action movies in 2015 withFurious 7.
Wan directedAquamanin 2018, the highest-grossing DC movie of all time, with $1.14 Billion. Of course, with numbers like that, Warner Bros. had to make a sequel. However, the DCU has changed and evolved a lot sinceAquaman. Warner Bros. and Discovery merged, and with it came several changes to their movies. For example, theBatgirlfilm was canceledafter it already finished filming, Henry Cavill was brought back Superman and then let go again, Ben Affleck also left, and James Gunn was put in charge of the DCU. Finally, the long-awaitedThe Flashreset the DCEU.
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In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Wan discussed making theAquamansequel. Wan was asked if he had to make any changes toAquaman and the Lost Kingdomto fit with theDCU reset happens inThe Flash. “I’ve had to make adjustments all along the way. The DCU has been through lots of different versions, and one of the things that was challenging about this film was keeping track of what’s going on,” Wan said. “Fortunately, theAquamanuniverse is pretty far removed from the rest of the world. We’re going to many different underwater kingdoms that are not necessarily related to what’s happening with the other movies and characters, so we’re stand-alone in that respect.”
Wan makes an interesting statement by saying thatAquamanis a standalone film. The movie does not affect nor is it impacted by the other movies and characters in the DC universe. The underwater kingdoms inAquamanare separated from what is happening in Metropolis or Gotham. However, Wan did mention that he had to make some changes to fit withwhat was going on in the DCU, saying, “So I can just tell my story on its own without being affected too much, but at the same time, I have to be mindful of what’s been happening.”
Originally,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomwas supposed to be released beforeThe Flash. This was before either of the films started shooting. TheAquamansequel will now be released afterThe Flash, and there is no confirmation yet if the film will take place before or afterThe Flashresets the DCU.Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomlikely takes placebeforeThe Flashreset everything, and fans might get a post-credit-scene of how Aquaman’s world changes, similar to what the MCU did with movies that took place before the snap but came out afterAvengers: Infinity War, likeAnt-Man and the WaspandCaptain Marvel.
