LOS ANGELES: With the current turnover of DC, as it will soon end its original DC Extended Universe and make a transition to the new DC Universe with James Gunn and Peter Safran heading the projects, the studio has struggled with continuing the story of Arthur Curry/Aquaman who is played by Jason Momoa. The upcoming second installment in the 'Aquaman' series, 'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' has faced turbulent production, with every shot of the movie containing VFX.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'The Lost Kingdom' is already an expensive production. It was greenlit at a $205 million budget and shot during the pandemic, which was a burdensome expense on tentpole productions. Additionally, every frame of the movie involves visual effects, another major cost. The reshoots have only raised that overall budget."
As the first film made a killing at the box office due to its action and massive spectacle, DC wants to up the ante, particularly for the massive underwater sequences in the movie. The first movie already had a lot of VFX going for it in order to showcase the majesty and grandeur of the Atlantians, the many sea creatures and its underwater battles.
As 'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' wants to enhance the spectacle, director James Wan has showcased concept art detailing the grandeur of the whole thing, particularly the vibrancy and beauty of the underwater kingdom as Aquaman and his allies explore strange new worlds and environments.
'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' will be the final movie of the DCEU, which launched a decade ago with Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel'. The recent DCEU releases have failed badly at the box office with films such as 'Black Adam',' Shazam! Fury of the Gods' and 'The Flash' all being monetary losses.
Speaking to 'THR' back in April, James Wan talking about the film said: "This movie has something to talk about (climate change), but it’s still a fun action-fantasy movie."
'Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom' will hit theatres on December 20, 2023 and will star Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman.