Aquaman is officially back in theaters after a five-year absence. The first trailer for "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," or Aquaman 2 starring Jason Momoa as the aquatic DC hero, has been published by Warner Bros.
Aquaman, played by Momoa, is the half-human, half-Atlantean hero who currently governs over Atlantis. "Lost Kingdom" follows him. He teams up with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) in the follow-up to battle the vicious pirate Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Along with Momoa, Wilson, and Abdul-Mateen, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Willem Dafoe, and Dolph Lundgren will reprise their roles from the first film, with Randall Park reprising his part as Dr. Stephen Shin after making a cameo in the first one. Vincent Regan, Indya Moore, and Pilou Asbaek join the cast as well. The sequel will be directed by James Wan again, with the script written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
The film has gained interest since it is the first major project starring Amber Heard since last year's highly publicized defamation trial involving the actress and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. During the trial, Heard alleged that her role was reduced by the studio as a result of the repercussions of her divorce from Depp, which resulted in severe online harassment.
She stated that she was paid $1 million for the first "Aquaman" film and $2 million for the sequel, despite the fact that her character was "a very pared-down version” as she is seen in just a few seconds in the trailer.
The sequel to "Aquaman" is the fourth DC film to be released this year, following the underwhelming debuts of "The Flash," and "Blue Beetle." New DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are in the process of rebuilding the DC Universe, but no decision on Aquaman or Momoa's inclusion in the future slate has been made. The movie is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 20, 2023.
