2018’s Aquaman made bank at the box office (it’s the only movie in the DC Extended Universe to make over $1 billion) because of how fun it is. But there’s nothing fun about the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding its sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
A recent Variety report claimed that actress Amber Heard was going to be fired until her former-boyfriend Elon Musk threatened to “burn the house down,” and that star Jason Momoa showed up to set “allegedly intoxicated” and dressed like Johnny Depp to needle Heard, among other allegations. It’s a big ol’ mess, not unlike the ocean once plastic Diet Coke bottles were created, but director James Wan contends the drama has been blown out of proportion.
“I’ve had to learn to be more Zen in dealing with all the noise around me, for sure,” he told Empire. “I’m a pretty private person. I don’t get on social media and have fights, but it’s difficult because this narrative has emerged that is not the reality. The noise is fun to write about, and it gets clicks, but people don’t know the truth.”
As for whether he’d return for a third Aquaman movie, assuming new DC Studios overlords James Gunn and Peter Safran are interested, Wan said, “I haven’t directed a third movie [in a series] before, so I’d be open to doing another if I got the same freedom I’ve had on these first two. I’m not sure what direction [Gunn and Safran] are going in, though, so who knows? I’ve learned to never say never.” And I’ll never give up hope for a Topo the octopus spinoff.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens in theaters on December 20.
(Via Empire)
