As the final film of the DCEU, 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ended things on a good note. Apparently, the film, which featured actor Jason Momoa, managed to fill up the theatres but as expected, turned out to be a massive disappointment otherwise.
The film faced several setbacks including Amber Heard’s highly publicized court battle with her ex-husband Johnny Depp and poor test screenings. Several scenes were reshot and the film’s budget was much more than initially planned. During the production of the film, many petitions were filed demanding Heard’s removal from the movie and as per actor Dolph Lundgren, Heard’s controversy scared Momoa.
Did Amber Heard’s controversy scare Jason Momoa?
In a recent interview with MovieWeb, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Dolph Lundgren explained that Amber Heard‘s highly publicized court battle spooked actor Jason Momoa. Lundgren explained that Momoa was worried that people wouldn’t watch the movie because of Heard’s controversy,
“I guess he got spooked with this Amber Heard situation and the fact that people weren’t gonna see the movie because she’s in it. I always thought that was overrated. I mean, I think when you make a movie, you’ve got to stick to your guns a little bit… So, I personally wish they stuck with the original because I thought it was quite good.”
Here, Lundgren was talking about “the original” version of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in which Heard had a bigger role. Heard’s role in the movie was significantly reduced during the production of the movie, but DC Studios claimed that the reduction was due to her poor chemistry with Momoa. Of course, that is not what fans believe.
What’s next for the Aquaman franchise?
In the same interview, Lundgren talked about the future of the Aquaman franchise. As per the actor, Momoa believes that this was his last movie as Aquaman. Lundgren said:
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with Aquaman. I’ve heard Jason Momoa thinks it’s just his last one, and he wants to do something else. I just heard it through somebody else. But it’s hard to know what’s going to happen in the future, except I just thought they had a great script, and they had a great director and good cast [for the second film].”
Multiple media outlets claim that Momoa is rumored to be playing Lobo in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DCU. Momoa’s last performance was disappointing for many but from the financial aspect, the film grossed $378 million worldwide. As of now, all eyes are on Gunn and Safran’s rebooted DCU which will officially begin with 2025’s Superman: Legacy.
