A great chasm has opened up in the DCEU. On the cinematic side, you have the grimdark aesthetic of Zack Snyder”s Batman v Superman film. On the television side, there”s the brightly happy world of Supergirl on CBS. Based on quotes given by Snyder about Grant Gustin”s The Flash, it seemed never the twain should meet. Can anyone pry Snyder”s gritty hands off the franchise? Aquaman director James Wan is willing to give it the old college try.
The stand-alone Aquaman film is still in its infancy – the release date is set for July 27, 2018 – but James Wan is already fielding questions about he King of Atlantis. At a recent event, Wan was on hand discuss his next projects (The Conjuring 2, Light”s Out, but The L.A. Times brought up his collaboration with Warner Bros. and DC.
Wan was asked if Snyder”s grimdark tone would carry over to Aquaman”s solo adventures. The director deflected by saying he was making his own sandcastle, but it was still in DC”s sandbox. But he also toed the party line that Warner Bros. was committed to making filmmaker-driven superhero films. Pressed for details, Wan let this nugget slip:
“I would love to capture the fun spirit of high-sea adventures, treasure hunts, sea monsters. That”s the spirit that I”m going for. Swashbuckling.”
Could Aquaman have a bit less superhero serial killers and more Pirates of the Caribbean flair? Or will Wan”s ideas be subsumed into the Kraken that is Snyder-verse? Fans will have to wait to find out if when the movie ramps up production.
Personally, I'm hoping for just a smidge of Aquaman's personality from Batman: The Brave and the Bold to make it into Wan's vision. Let Jason Momoa be funny!