While Momoa happily took fans behind the scenes during the recent DC Fandome, the sequel to the box office DCEU superhero film Aquaman (2018) has apparently been a grueling project for the crew. Momoa even shared some of the details of his injuries in the course of the production. Read on for the revelations below.
Momoa takes to social media, thanks fans and crew
Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, announced the film being wrapped on his Instagram. The DCEU stalwart is all smiles, confirming the finishing touches to the sequel in Hawaii. Momoa also took the opportunity to promote his bio-based collaboration with Electric for his Knoxville sunglasses collection. The promotion of the product is helping to raise funding for a good cause: Fans and friends joined in on congratulating the actor. Dwayne Johnson, star of the upcoming Black Adam film, was one of the first to congratulate Momoa and the Aquaman 2 production. The man called The Rock commented on Momoa’s Instagram post: Momoa expressed his relief in finishing the 6 months of production, and being able to take a break, having finished in his home area of Hawaiii.
Darker tone says director
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom director James Wan also shared his thoughts. In an interview with Total Film, Wan noted the darker, more mature themes in the second Aquaman film, promising that it is: In an earlier 2020 Total Film interview, Wan previously discussed how the first movie laid the foundation for exploring the darker elements in Aquaman’s world:
— Total Film (@totalfilm) August 22, 2020 The scenes that featured The Trench and the titanic Karathen (which was ironically voiced by Julie Andrews) in the 2018 film showed a glimpse of the mystery and horrific elements present in Aquaman’s mythos. Wan also mentioned in prior interviews that the tone of Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is inspired by Planet of the Vampires. What could the sequel have in store that could top the previous horror elements? The end credits of the 2018 Aquaman film did have Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) hinting about exploring the kingdoms of Atlantis. This may provide a clue as to where the direction the sequel will take. We do know that Arthur Curry aka Orin will need a new stealthier suit for the dangers he will face.
Memories and injuries
Momoa’s relief after announcing the wrap of the filming Aquaman 2 is understandable. The film had been mired by multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the official start only taking place just June of this year. Momoa and co-star Amber Heard (Mera) even shared their intensive physical training for keeping pace with the physicality of their scenes. In a guest-appearance on The Ellen Show last October, he talked about the injuries he incurred during the sequel’s filming: Superhero films have been known to be very taxing on stars. Even with their stunt doubles, actors in the superheroic genre will be expected to be in tip-top shape in order to make it believable for close up shots. And despite safety precautions, accidents and injuries do happen, as Momoa relates here. Now that filming has wrapped post-production for editing and VFX will begin in early 2022. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Dolph Lundgren. The DCEU superhero film swims to theaters on December 16, 2022.
