When Aquaman flooded into cinemas at the end of 2018, it seemed intent on being more than just an ocean-based comic book blockbuster. Across its runtime, it took in all kinds of other genres – moments of (literal) fish-out-of-water comedy; that all-out horror sequence in the Trench; scenes of Indiana Jones-esque action-adventure; a Mamma Mia-ish jaunt to mediterranean climes. And for his sequel, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, director James Wan is looking towards another genre template to fuse with the demands of a thunderous action-fantasy film.
“From the start, I pitched that the first film would be a Romancing The Stone-type thing – an action-adventure romantic comedy – while the second would be an outright buddy comedy,” he tells Empire in the world-exclusive new Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom issue. “I wanted to do Tango & Cash!” Buddying up with Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry – now wrangling not only with being King Of Atlantis, but with the demands of newfound fatherhood too – is none other than Patrick Wilson’s Orm. Aquaman’s half-brother was the one causing chaos last time around; now, Curry needs him to face down Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s returning Black Manta. The result is a classic chalk-and-cheese dynamic. “Jason plays Arthur larger-than-life; Patrick plays the straight man,” teases Wan. “It’s not unlike what Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones did in Men In Black – like Tommy, Patrick plays it dry, but very funny.”
While the dynamic is different this time around, Wan’s plan was always to pick up where Aquaman left off – delivering an epic next chapter in a world of bioluminescent battles and aquatic awe. “It’s like they’re one big movie,” he explains. “If you watch them back-to-back, they roll right into each other.” In fact, why not make it a triple-bill with Tango & Cash to boot?
Read Empire’s full world-exclusive Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom cover story – speaking to James Wan about his journey following up DC’s mega-splash blockbuster, tapping back into his horror roots, and navigating the changing course of the DCEU – in the December 2023 issue. Pre-order a copy online here, or become an Empire member to access the digital edition on launch day. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom comes to UK cinemas from 20 December.