Aquaman 2 title revealed by director James Wan

As the latest instalment of his Conjuring Universe continues to spook audiences, filmmaker James Wan is progressing fast with his Aquaman sequel. The ubiquitous filmmaker has revealed the title of the DC comic book sequel as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by James Wan (@creepypuppet)

 

The first Aquaman movie, released in 2018, brought a refreshing amount of levity to the otherwise gloomy DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The conscious decision to move the franchise into bolder, more overtly tongue-in-cheek areas worked a treat: it grossed more than $1 billion worldwide and won plaudits for star Jason Momoa.

The actor returns as the titular Aquaman in the sequel. Other returning faces include Mera (Amber Heard), Orm (Patrick Wilson) and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Wan has reportedly promised a "more serious" tone, although given the first film involved hordes of sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads (well, sort of), we'd take his comments with a pinch of salt.

Wan is producing alongside Peter Safran (another key creative behind the Conjuring Universe), with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick returning to pen the script. The latter penned the scare-tastic script for the latest Conjuring film The Devil Made Me Do It – does this imply the new Aquaman movie will be moving more into the vein of horror?

There was a suggestion of that in the first film when Aquaman and Mera were attacked by creatures from the deep-sea trench. This was intended to fuel a horror-centric spin-off, named The Trench, but studio Warner Bros instead decided to press on with the Aquaman sequel.

Aquaman 2 is set for release in December 2022.