Warner Bros. Pictures is officially taking audiences back to the ocean for more adventures with the big screen’s king of the seas. Aquaman 2 has reportedly been given a release date of December 16, 2022.
Aquaman 2 is expected to bring back screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the first film. The return of director James Wan, however, is not confirmed at this point. Last year’s Aquaman is currently the highest-grossing movie of all time in WB’s cinematic universe based on DC Comics superheroes and villains.
According to Deadline, Wan is expected to serve as an executive producer on the sequel, but there’s been no word on where the film’s narrative will take Aquaman. The 2022 release date puts the sequel in theaters almost exactly four years after the first film.
In early February 2019, the studio announced plans for a spinoff film based on the success of Aquaman called The Trench, which would explore the deepsea region filled with monstrous creatures that only appeared briefly in the original film. Wan will serve as an executive producer on that film, with Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald penning the script.
Released in U.S. theaters December 21, Aquaman cast Jason Momoa as the titular half-Atlantean, half-human hero with the ability to communicate with — and in many cases, command — aquatic creatures. He also possesses formidable strength, speed, and superhuman resilience. The first film had him challenging his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for the throne of Atlantis after Orm unites the various underwater kingdoms for a war with the surface world.
The supporting cast for Aquaman includes Amber Heard (Magic Mike XXL) as Mera, a powerful Atlantean with the ability to shape and control water.Other cast members are Willem Dafoe (Platoon) as Vulko, Aquaman’s mentor; Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables) as Nereus, king of a powerful underwater kingdom; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down) as Black Manta, a mercenary who becomes an enemy of Aquaman; and Nicole Kidman (The Hours) as Arthur’s mother, Atlanna.
Aquaman went on to earn more than $1.1 billion in worldwide ticket sales, including $332.9 million in U.S. theaters. Its domestic ticket sales are second only to Wonder Woman in the studio’s superhero cinematic universe, but it is the DC Extended Universe’s worldwide leader in box-office grosses.
