About Aquaman – Film

Aquaman Film

Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall. It stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and stop his half-brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson) from uniting the seven underwater kingdoms to destroy the surface world. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman appear in supporting roles.

Development began in 2004 but did not gain traction until Man of Steel was released in 2013. In August 2014, Beall and Kurt Johnstad were hired to write competing scripts. Wan signed on as director in April 2015, and in July 2016, the film moved forward with Beall’s screenplay. The main cast was confirmed through 2016 and early 2017. Principal photography began in Australia in May 2017, taking place at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, with additional production teams in Canada, Italy and Morocco. Filming concluded the following October. Several vendors provided visual effects, ranging from high-detail hair simulations to the creation of CGI animals and locations.

Aquaman premiered in London on November 26, 2018, and was released in the United States on December 21. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film, the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character, the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2018, and the 20th highest-grossing film of all time. An animated miniseries set after the film, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, aired from October 14 to October 28, 2021, while a live-action sequel film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, is set to be released on December 22, 2023.

Aquaman Film

STORY

In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Atlanna, queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, during a storm. They fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who has the power to communicate with sea creatures. When Atlantean soldiers sent by King Orvax (the ruler of Atlantis) arrive for Atlanna, who fled her arranged marriage, she is forced to leave her family to protect them from her people. She promises to return when it’s safe and goes back to Atlantis, entrusting her advisor, Nuidis Vulko, to train Arthur. Becoming a skilled warrior, Arthur rejects Atlantis upon learning that Atlanna was executed by Orvax for loving a human and having a half-breed son.

In the present, Arthur has become known as the metahuman dubbed as the “Aquaman” by the public. One year after Steppenwolf’s defeat, Arthur confronts pirates hijacking a Russian Akula-class submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane, is killed, leading his son David to vow revenge against Arthur, after Arthur refused his request to help save Jesse. David escapes on a TR-3B, which is later hinted to have been stolen from the United States Navy weeks prior. King Orm Marius, Orvax’s son (now Atlantis’s new ruler) and Arthur’s younger half-brother, convinces King Nereus of Xebel to help unite Atlantis and destroy the surface world for polluting the oceans. If Orm unites all four kingdoms, he will receive the title of Ocean Master, commander of the most powerful force on Earth. They are ambushed by a Typhoon-class submarine, causing Orm to feel obligated to send a tsunami.

Nereus’ daughter Mera, betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and requests Arthur’s help, and Arthur accompanies her to Atlantis after Orm’s tsunami nearly kills his father. Vulko urges him to find the Trident of Atlan, a powerful artifact of Atlantis’ first ruler, to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm’s men, and Arthur is captured. Orm blames him for Atlanna’s death and nearly kills him in a duel before Mera rescues him. Arthur and Mera journey to the fallen Kingdom of the Deserters hidden under the Sahara, where the trident was forged, and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, Italy, where they retrieve the trident’s coordinates.

Orm gives David an Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur, imprisons Vulko, and coerces the Kingdom of the Fishermen to pledge their allegiance to him by killing their king. It is revealed that Orm hired David and his father to hijack the Russian submarine to win Nereus’s support. An armored David rechristens himself Black Manta and battles Arthur, but Arthur defeats him. Arthur and Mera fend off amphibious monsters of the Trench, and a wormhole transports them to an uncharted sea at the center of the Earth. They are reunited with Atlanna, who was sacrificed to the Trench for Arthur’s illegitimate birth 20 years ago. She had survived, however, and escaped to the uncharted sea, unable to find her way back.

Arthur faces the Karathen, a mythical sea monster and keeper of the trident, and reclaims the trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Orm leads his army against the Kingdom of the Brine to declare himself Ocean Master, while Arthur leads an army of marine creatures against him. Orm’s followers embrace Arthur as the true king upon learning that he wields Atlan’s trident. Arthur spares Orm’s life after beating him in a duel, and Orm accepts his imprisonment after discovering that Arthur rescued their mother. Atlanna reunites with Thomas, while Arthur ascends to the throne.

In a mid-credits scene, David is rescued by Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine scientist and conspiracy theorist obsessed with Atlantis, and agrees to lead Shin there in exchange for help in his revenge on Arthur.

CAST

Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman:
A half-Atlantean, half-human who is reluctant to be king of the undersea nation of Atlantis. He is a member of the Justice League. He possesses superhuman strength, durability, has hydrokinetic powers, can communicate with sea creatures, and can swim at supersonic speeds. A younger Arthur Curry is portrayed by various actors, including Kobi Booker as the infant, Tainu and Tamor Kirkwood at age 3, Kaan Guldur at age 9, Otis Dhanji at age 13 and Kekoa Kekumano at age 16.
Amber Heard as Mera:
The princess of Xebel, Arthur Curry’s love interest, a warrior and daughter of King Nereus. She was raised by Queen Atlanna and groomed to become queen. Mera possesses hydrokinetic and telepathic powers that allow her to control her aquatic environment and communicate with other Atlanteans.
Willem Dafoe as Vulko:
Atlantis’ vizier, who mentored the young Arthur and trains him to fight. Dafoe was digitally de-aged for the flashback scenes.
Patrick Wilson as King Orm:
Arthur Curry’s younger Atlantean half-brother and king of Atlantis, who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and become the Ocean Master to declare war on the surface world for humanity’s desecration of the seas. Wilson previously voiced the President of the United States of America in the DC Extended Universe film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus:
Mera’s father and the king of the Atlantean tribe of Xebel, whom Orm tricks into an alliance through false pretenses.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta:
A ruthless pirate and a high-seas mercenary with a flair for creating deadly technological innovations. He is not referred to by his civilian name in the film and is credited simply as “Manta”.
Ludi Lin as Captain Murk: The commander of the Men-of-War, the frontline army of Atlantis.
Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry: Arthur’s father and a lighthouse keeper.
Nicole Kidman as Atlanna: The Queen of Atlantis, mother of Arthur Curry and Orm.

PRODUCTION

Development

In 2004, FilmJerk.com reported that Sunrise Entertainment’s Alan and Peter Riche planned to bring Aquaman to the big screen for Warner Bros., with Robert Ben Garant writing the screenplay. However, the attempt fell through. In 2007, Warner Bros. announced the development of a Justice League film with Michele and Kieran Mulroney writing the screenplay. The film, reportedly titled Justice League: Mortal, would have been Aquaman’s cinematic debut. George Miller signed on to direct later that year. However, the film would be cancelled following production delays stemming from the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. Prior to the film’s cancellation in 2008, actor Santiago Cabrera had been cast as Aquaman. In July 2009, it was reported that Aquaman was in development at Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way. Warner chairman and CEO Barry Meyer said that an Aquaman film was in development. After Man of Steel‘s release in 2013, a source from Warner Bros. told The Wrap that they were discussing future films, with the mention of more Man of Steel movies as well as a Superman/Batman film, a Wonder Woman film and an Aquaman film. Geoff Johns told Variety that Aquaman was a priority character. On August 12, 2014, Warner Bros. announced that it had hired screenwriters Will Beall and Kurt Johnstad to pen separate scripts. The film was developed on dual tracks, although only the better version would move forward.

Peter Jackson was approached to direct the film but he declined. On April 10, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that James Wan was the front-runner to direct. In June 2015, Wan was confirmed to direct and overlook the screenplay by Johnstad. On November 12, 2015, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was hired to write the script; however, it was unclear whether his would be separate or work with Wan. Previous script plans had been scrapped and Wan and Johns planned to move forward with a new script written by Beall. Later, Johnson-McGoldrick was brought back to the project to rewrite Beall’s script.

In March 2016, it was announced that the events of Aquaman would be set after Justice League. Wan confirmed that cinematographer Don Burgess, who had previously worked with Wan on The Conjuring 2, would serve as cinematographer. Pre-production began in Australia in late November 2016.