‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’ Director James Wan Describes Current State Of DC: “I’m Living In A House That’s Getting Renovated”
John F. Trent
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan recently described the current state of DC as “a house that’s getting renovated.”
Jason Momoa as Aquaman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
Wan’s comments came as part of a trailer event for the upcoming DC film. During the Q&A portion of the event, which was attended by ScreenRant, Wan was asked about the current state of DC.
He answered, “I’m aware of everything that’s happening around me. I mean, I use the analogy that I’m living in a house that’s getting renovated. It’s hard to not be aware of the renovation that’s happening around me.”
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
While he noted DC is being renovated, he attempted to spin the film as not being connected to anything that’s really happening in the renovations, “But the beauty about Aquaman is that we’ve always designed these two films to be within their own world. The advantage of not being hooked into this bigger universe is whatever happens over there doesn’t really affect my movie.”
He elaborated, “This film doesn’t hook into anything. It lives in its own world. That’s what we found worked really well for us on the first film, and we’re doing exactly the same. There’s noise going around, but I’m just in my cocoon, in my underwater kingdom.”
Jason Momoa as Aquaman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
Wan made similar comments in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter back in June. However, in that interview, he also claimed that he was indeed having to make adjustments to the film due to the revolving door at the head of DC.
He told the outlet, “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.”
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
While he admitted to making “adjustments all along the way,” he also posited this idea that Aquaman was not really connected to the rest of the DCEU so it didn’t affect the film from that standpoint.
He explained, “Fortunately, the Aquaman universe 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.”
“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,” he concluded.
A creature wielding the Black Trident in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
As for what potential moviegoers can expect from the film, Wan teased, “I think people are going to be excited to see that this movie is quite different from the first movie in terms of tone. It’s a little bit more serious, and we’re dealing with issues like climate change.”
“We’re not afraid to lean into that in a big way, because the Aquaman comic book, even way back when, has always been environmentally conscious. He’s always been someone who’s fought to keep the ocean clean, and it feels more relevant in the world that we’re living in today. So this movie has something to talk about, but it’s still a fun action-fantasy movie,” he added.
Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master Orm and Jason Momoa as Aquaman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Warner Bros. Pictures
What do you make of Wan’s comments about the current state of DC and how the changes have affected Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
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