Jason Momoa Weighs In On The Future Of The Aquaman Franchise In James Gunn’s DCU: “It’s Not Looking Good”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is only a few days away from releasing in theatres and lead actor Jason Momoa does not seem too optimistic about the future of the franchise as a whole, declaring that things are “not looking good” for the King of Atlantis.
“I don’t necessarily want it to be the end… [but] I don’t think it’s really, like, a choice,” Momoa said during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, noting that DC Studios CEOS James Gunn and Peter Safran want “to start their own new thing up.”
Momoa continued, “The truth of it is, I mean, if the audience loves [Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom], then there’s a possibility. But right now, I’m like, ‘It’s not looking too good.'”
The Aquaman actor would go on to explain why he would like to keep playing the character — ultimately reiterating that it’s not really up to him but whether the new film ends up resonating with audiences.
“I love this character and [I would want to] play it for a long time,” the Aquaman star declared. “I kind of see where I would want it to go. And even in the next 10 years or so, like there’s a lot of cool things they can do.”
“And I do enjoy the role and the world. So, I mean, it just comes down to if people love it. If there’s a place in their world for me, I would love to be a part of it,” the actor admitted.
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“This is my home. Warner and DC is definitely my home. So, that’s all I’ll say,” Momoa said, before hinting that playing Lobo, a character he’s a real fan of, would be “really cool.”
He elaborated, “You know, I had roles before, [but] they’re nothing like this,” he added. “You have kids coming up, really excited to see you, and adults,” before proceeding to explain how Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom serves as a platform to push his climate change narrative further down the throats of viewers.
“But at the end of the day, my passion growing up was always about the oceans, and being Polynesian, and being an activist,” the actor further declared. “It’s cool because I get to like do that in my real life and [playing Aquaman] also obviously puts [those interests on] a higher platform.”
Momoa’s lack of optimism on the future of Aquaman in the DCU is not misplaced. Just a few months back, Gunn put the final nail on the character’s coffin by officially declaring that the Snyderverse is not canon.
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“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year – a sort of aperitif to the DCU – & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” the DC Studios CEO wrote on Threads.
He explained, “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.”
In a follow-up reply, Gunn further clarified, “And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until CC and Legacy.”
When pressed to elaborate, Gunn explained that Blue Beetle and Peace Maker actors Xolo Maridueña and John Cena, respectively, will be reprising their roles in the new DCU as well as Viola Davies in her role as Amanda Waller.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Director James Wan has also made clear that he doesn’t know what Gunn’s plans are for the King of Atlantis in the DCU. In an interview with Empire, the director addressed rumours regarding studio interference and the film’s reshoots following Gunn and Safran’s promotion as DC Studios CEOs.
“I’ve had to learn to be more Zen in dealing with all the noise around me, for sure,” he admitted to the outlet. ““I’m a pretty private person. I don’t get on social media and have fights, but it’s difficult because this narrative has emerged that is not the reality. The noise is fun to write about, and it gets clicks, but people don’t know the truth.”
Specifically addressing the film’s reshoots, Wan added, “We probably did seven or eight days, which is nothing for a movie of this size. It was just spread out because it’s so hard to get your actors back once you’ve finished the initial shoot.”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom swims into theatres on the 22nd of December.
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