Director James Wan’s upcoming movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, will be the 15th and final installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). A sequel to Aquaman (2018), the film faced several delays due to poor test screenings, and now, it’s all set to release in December 2023. One of the reasons behind the delay was also actress Amber Heard’s highly publicized court battle with her ex-husband Johnny Depp. Many petitions were filed online demanding her removal from the film.
As fans prepare themselves for the movie, director James Wan opened up about the experience of working on the film and how he handled the negativity. The director agrees that there is a lot of noise surrounding the movie, however, he is sure that in 20 years, people will remember the movie, forgetting the noise.
James Wan is sure that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be relevant even after 20 years
Director James Wan recently appeared for an interview with Empire Magazine for their latest issue and talked about the process of creating 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,
“I’ve been on this movie for four years now, and I’m so happy for it to come out. In many ways, I think it’s even more fun than the first one. But it’s been a long, exhausting process. It is definitely the noisiest movie I’ve ever worked on. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from this experience. To filter out the negativity and focus on the film. Because that’s what will live on – in 20 years, no one will remember the noise. Only the movie.”
The movie was reshot several times due to poor test screenings and James Wan compared the process to “living in a house that’s being renovated.” The idea of the sequel was first discussed in 2018 and finally, after 5 long years, the film is all set to hit the theatres.
Amber Heard’s controversy slowed down the film
In 2020, there were rumors that actress Amber Heard would not be reprising her role as Mera from the first film following allegations of domestic abuse made against her by her ex-husband Johnny Depp. Around that time, a petition to have Heard fired from the franchise received more than 1.5 million signatures and subsequently, her part in the movie was reduced. Turns out, it wasn’t because of her controversial court case, it was due to her lack of chemistry with the movie’s star, Jason Momoa.
Ultimately, Heard wasn’t fired from the franchise and this is probably the last time fans will get to see her in the DC franchise as James Gunn has planned to soft-reboot the DCEU. With his new DC Universe, Gunn will introduce new actors and storylines. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is all set to be released in the United States on December 22, 2023.
