James Wan reinvented the horror genre with Saw and The Conjuring, and now he wants to do the same for the comic book movie with Aquaman.
DC and Marvel have taken us into the vastness of space and delved into both the cosmic and quantum realms, but Wan's DC Universe movie breaks new ground by going underwater for its battle for control of the seven kingdoms of Atlantis.
The follow-up to last year's Justice League finds Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) in the unenviable position of having to face off with his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) for control of their ancestral home, which happens be to a few thousand leagues under the sea.
Wan chatted with The Hollywood Reporter about the challenges of bringing Atlantis to life, and explained that this vast unexplored world inspired him to break the mould of traditional superhero movies.
"I want it to feel more like a quest, fantasy movie," the director said. "I wanted people to see just the visuals of the different worlds and what they are getting themselves into, like you are seeing it for the first time."
Fans got their first real glimpse of Atlantis in the recently-released Comic-Con trailer, which Wan felt successfully reintroduced the Aquaman character after the shaky reception to Justice League.
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"We want to make sure the trailer positions who he is, and also positions who Jason Momoa is," Wan says. "This guy who is so full of life and so full of personality."
For a full rundown of all of the most exciting moments and Easter eggs from Aquaman's Comic-Con International trailer, please just click here.
Aquaman will be released on December 14 in the UK and on December 21 in the US.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
