Fans will finally be seeing Aquaman return to the big screen this December. The sequel received a first trailer last month and now we are getting new information for the upcoming film.
After years of being in development, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom gets an official rating from the Motion Picture Association. According to the MPA film ratings website, the sequel has been “rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and some language.” The rating is something we have expected as the theatrical releases for DC have been PG-13 except for Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and The Suicide Squad.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, director James Wan revealed that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was developed as a standalone movie. Even with the DC Universe being reset by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the Aquaman sequel will likely still be a part of the franchise given the standalone nature of the movie series.
“Well, Aquaman – even the first film – has always been a very standalone film,” Wan said. “That was always our approach: that it kind of lives in its own world, and that’s kind of how we’ve approached The Lost Kingdom as well. You know, people love Jason Momoa; people love him playing this role; and people love the action visuals of this space and this world. And that’s what we’re doing: we’re taking it to the next level and we are still expanding – and just any fans of Aquaman the character, that love Black Manta, this is the next level and I’m very excited to finally put out there to show them what we’ve been working on all these years.”
DC Studios has still not announced a third movie for Aquaman. However, earlier this year, Jason Momoa met with Gunn and Safran to discuss his future with the comic book movie franchise. The actor teased that he is staying with DC for four more years, sparking rumors of more Aquaman roles.
Momoa also hinted at Aquaman 3 in an interview with Variety in January. The actor stated that he will “always be Aquaman” for DC Studios.
Interestingly, Warner Bros. Discovery opted not to further delay Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom despite the still-ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. DC Studios may be confident that the film will do well even when actors can’t promote the movie for as long as the strike is in effect.
DC needs Aquaman 2 to make it big as all its releases this year have all flopped at the box office. The first movie earned over $1.1 billion at the box office and the second film hopes to replicate that success. However, the recent reboot of the DC Universe may have a negative effect as Aquaman will not be part of the new timeline.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is coming to theaters on December 20.
