Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam) and even Henry Cavill (Superman) have been confirmed by new DC Studio co-head James Gunn as not likely to reprise their respective roles for the rebooted film universe, but what about Jason Momoa, whose return to the role of Aquaman in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom? Is the actor who helped the first Aquaman reach a total worldwide gross of $1.150 billion, the highest-grossing installment of any movie in the DCEU, exempt from being cut from the roster in Gunn and Peter Safran’s vision due to his profitability factor (and rogueish charm in the role, of course)? Momoa himself certainly seems to think so.
“I absolutely think Aquaman will be involved in the DCU,” Momoa told Total Film magazine. “It’s on, bro – there’s no one bigger than Aquaman! But, also, I hope people are excited to see the new one. It’s fun. I really enjoy doing comedy. There’s some really funny stuff with Patrick Wilson. I really adore him. We had a great time working together. It’s like we’re brothers. There’s a lot of cool stuff happening in this one.”
Momoa’s belief that Aquaman will be a part of the new DCU may not just be empty boasting either. Momoa confirmed to Variety that he met with Gunn and Safran at the Sundance Film Festival shortly after they were named new heads of the DC Film Universe.
“The beautiful thing [about ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’] is me and my partner wrote the first treatment for it and it was about a 55-page treatment, and a lot of it has to deal with me talking to the U.N. about what’s happening with the melting ice caps,” Momoa said. “There’s no far off galaxy coming to destroy us or aliens from another place. It’s us ruining our planet. We need to get it together and save our home.”
Following his meeting with Gunn and Safran, Momoa seemed optimistic about Aquaman being a part of the new DCU. “I’ll always be Aquaman. Ain’t anyone coming in there and taking shit. There might be some other characters, too. I can play other things, too. I can be funny and savage and charming.”
Other characters, such as Lobo, which was a rumor swirling around the time Gunn and Safran became DC Universe co-heads? We think Momoa would portray the Main Man in fraggin’ good form, but would that spread Momoa a little too thin? Or confuse fans? We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available. In the meantime, it looks the question of “Will Aquaman be a part of the new DCU?” can be answered with a pretty confident “yes” as of now.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to release in theaters on December 25, 2023.
Click the link to find out if Amber Heard will still be featured in Aquaman 2 following the defamation trial with Johnny Depp.
