Before acting in Zack Snyder’s universe, Jason Momoa first entered Hollywood’s spotlight when he played the powerful Dothraki warlord, Khal Drogo, in Game of Thrones. Momoa has since established himself as a dominating presence in Hollywood, thanks to his imposing physique. The Braven actor went on to play a range of action-packed roles after Game of Thrones, including the superhero Aquaman in the DCEU.
Momoa was the right candidate for the role considering Aquaman’s superhuman strength and durability, which the Slumberland actor could easily portray with his demeanor. But, Momoa originally approached DC for a different role.
Jason Momoa Was Set To Play Another Superhero In Zack Snyder’s Universe
While Jason Momoa had a successful outing as the DC superhero Aquaman, the Fast X actor was initially set to play another DC superhero. Zack Snyder wanted Momoa to audition for the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman in the 2016 movie Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. According to Momoa, Snyder had a different vision for the role of Batman but he liked how the Game of Thrones actor played the role in a different way. Momoa shared:
“I think when I did the audition for ‘Batman,’ I didn’t play it like I was supposed to. I just played it completely different and I think that’s what Zack liked.”
The Man of Steel director instead cast Momoa as Aquaman and asked the See actor to keep his cameo appearance as Aquaman in Batman v. Superman, a closely guarded secret. Interestingly, the Aquaman movie was better received than Batman v. Superman, gaining $1.15 billion at the box office, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film to date.
Jason Momoa Was Asked To Keep His Aquaman Casting A Secret
Zack Snyder made the casting choice of Jason Momoa right after the production of Man of Steel. An official announcement about Batman v. Superman came from Warner Bros. only in October of 2014. This meant that the Dune actor had to keep his casting a secret for years before appearing in the Batman movie.
Momoa during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show revealed that he could not even tell his friends or family. The rumors about the Justice League actor’s casting began circulating in late 2013. Momoa admitted that it was difficult to lie to people who questioned him about Aquaman. The Sweet Girl actor further confirmed that he was hired even before there was a script for an Aquaman film.
Jason Momoa is set to reprise his superhero role in the Aquaman sequel, titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Earlier, an animated miniseries, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, was also released as part of the Aquaman series. Aquaman is now available for streaming on Max.
Source: Insider
