From desert to ocean: 'Aquaman' gets the 'Mad Max: Fury Road' stunt team

An Australian television news network reports that one of the primary stunt teams for Mad Max: Fury Road has been hired to work on WB’s upcoming Aquaman movie, set to be directed by Furious 7 filmmaker James Wan. The television news report features some footage of stunt coordinator Keir Beck and his team practicing for the project, which began pre-production in Queensland, Australia, in November and is expected to begin filming sometime in 2017.

Indicating that his team will contribute “general stunt skills and fighting,” Beck told Australia’s 9 News that “if there is water sequences, obviously being capable and competent in water” will be a requirement, too. That last part seems like a pretty good bet, given that the film focuses on DC Comics’ aquatic hero.

Although the Academy Awards have yet to add a category for stunt choreography — much to the annoyance of stunt performers — Beck’s team shared a Screen Actors Guild Award last year for stunt work in Mad Max: Fury Road, a movie that was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won in six categories. Beck served as a stunt coordinator or assistant stunt coordinator on multiple films over the years, including 2016’s war drama Hacksaw Ridge and noir comedy The Nice Guys.

Directed by Wan from a script created by Wan, Will Beall, and Geoff Johns, Aquaman casts Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa as the titular, sea-dwelling superhero. The film is reportedly set after the events of the upcoming Justice League movie that will bring together many of the studio’s live-action DC Comics superheroes and will also feature Watchmen and The Conjuring actor Patrick Wilson as Orm, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, Platoon) as Vulko, and Amber Heard (Machete Kills, The Ward) as Mera.

Aquaman is scheduled to hit theaters October 5, 2018.