Aquaman Movie - July 27, 2018

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Aquaman' Movie Hooks 'Gangster Squad' Writer (Exclusive)

Will Beall is going back into the ocean.

 

The Gangster Squad scribe is once again writing Aquaman, Warner Bros.’ feature project based on the iconic DC Comics character. This time however, he is working off a detailed treatment from filmmaker James Wan, who is attached to direct, and comics author and co-head of DC Films, Geoff Johns.

 

Recently, all Aquaman development tracks were deep six-ed as Wan and Johns focused on getting the story in ship shape. Beall was then rehired to write the -script, this time as the only writer. He is working with Wan and Johns.

James Wan And Geoff Johns Wrote A Treatment For The AQUAMAN Movie

An overlooked detail in THR's report that Will Beall has been hired to write the -script for Aquaman is the fact that director James Wan and the co-chair of DC Films have already written a treatment. As opposed to an outline, a treatment is typically 40 pgs long (on average), with very specific details regarding the story. This is a particularly important detail as the film currently has a July 27,2018 release date, meaning filming on Jason Momoa's standalone DCEU film needs to commence shortly thereafter Justice League wraps in London. With a treatment already completed Beall should be able to flesh out dialogue and scene transitions in relative short order with the tone and broader plot points already established by Wan and Johns.

Aquaman Movie Villain Revealed

The King of Atlantis is going to have his hands full in his first solo DC Films movie. Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa, will square off against his arch-nemesis Black Manta in the upcoming Warner Bros. tentpole, currently slated for a 2018 release.

 

Black Manta was created in the pages of DC Comics’ Aquaman in 1967. The character has gone through several revamps in terms of origin and continuity. The most recent version, introduced as part of DC’s “New 52,” presents Black Manta as an assasin who holds a grudge for the death of his father against Aquaman. Aquaman did, in fact, accidentally murder Black Manta’s father while seeking retribution for a murder that Manta committed.

James Wan's Aquaman is a Reluctant Superhero and Reluctant King

"Early on, Zack tried to involve me as much as he could, and I really appreciated that," Wan said. He was working on The Conjuring 2 at the same time, though, limiting his involvement. He has, however, spent time with Snyder specifically working out how Atlanteans communicate underwater. "If you have water in your lungs, like these characters do, there's no air bubble. So I don't know... I just think in my movie, I want to kind of create... I love the idea of underwater speaking but with a real sort of sonic, aquatic quality to it. So there's this sort of aquatic, almost sonar/whale thing. Even though it's in a human language, there’s this slight sort of underlay to it, this ping to it, which I think would be interesting for us to design from a sound design perspective," Wan said.

 

As for Aquaman's place on the Justice League, Wan looks at him as "kind of the Wolverine [of the team] in some respect." The director sees him as an "outsider who gets pulled into this world and he kind of doesn't want to belong. He prided freedom above everything else." He says that shows in two aspects of his life, as both a hero and a monarch. "That kind of plays nicely into who his character is. He's like a reluctant superhero, right? He's the reluctant king, basically, or would-be king."

Michael K. Williams Wants To Play Black Manta In Aquaman Movie

After the report hit that Black Manta would be the primary villain in Aquaman, the James Wan-directed and Jason Momoa-starring DC Comics movie currently in pre-production, the fan casting got underway quickly. One fan suggest on twitter that Michael K. Williams would be the right guy for the job, and the actor replied emphatically.

 

"Let's go!" Williams wrote, after a fan said, "Dear god please make it so that [Williams via twitter handle] as Black Manta in the Aquaman movie."

He was great on Boardwalk Empire.

"Dear god please make it so that [Williams via twitter handle] as Black Manta in the Aquaman movie."

Wow, such stereotyping.

Another actor wants back in on the superhero movie thing. Although he has already played Spawn, Doomsday and Green Lantern's John Stewart (both animated voice work). Along with getting a new smile on his face from The Joker.

Michael Jai White Wants To Play Black Manta In Aquaman Movie

Taking to Twitter, actor Michael Jai White graciously responded to a fan who tweeted, “@MichaelJaiWhite for Black Manta.” The actor responded eagerly, saying, “I accept your nomination!” before the Internet then lost its mind. The actor’s account has since been flooded with fans begging for White to become Black Manta.

 

Obviously, the final casting call will come down Warner Bros., but it’s definitely nice to know White would be interested in the role should the opportunity present itself.

AQUAMAN Screenwriter Teases A Fun Underwater Action Movie

Today, Bell [Will Beall, the screenwriter who wrote the first draft of the Justice League movie] was at the Summer TCA Press Tour for his upcoming Training Day TV series for CBS but briefly touched on Aquaman with /Film. Said Beall, “I can tell you that not all of the action takes place underwater. Some of the most fun action in the movie actually takes place on dry land.”

 

Beall also updated the status of the -script, revealing that he was still currently working alongside Wan and Johns and that what happens to the King of Atlantis in Justice League doesn't necessarily affect their current work on the -script for the standalone feature. "Nope, I am still working on [the -script] with James [Wan] and Geoff [Johns]. No, no, they know what’s happening. Everybody knows what’s happening [in Justice League] so it’s not that. It’s working out what’s going to make the best [Aquaman] movie."

Amber Heard's Mera Justice League Costume Said To Be Awesome

Amber Heard is currently in London for filming of the Justice League movie where she plays the Atlantean undersea queen warrior, Mera.

 

An Amber Heard fan site on Twitter got word that the Mera "costume is amazing. It's basically a one suit of green scales that gradually turn transparent and become integrated."

 

Likewise, a few months ago saw Amber Heard mention her Mera costume with a similar description.

 

"It's interesting. It's like, half suit of armor, half scales," Amber Heard revealed. "It's strange... We're in the process of building it now, so it's coming along."

 

Amber Heard has been training for the role of Mera in Justice League through intensive three-hour workouts and cardio sessions in addition to undergoing combat and stunt training (via Daily Mail).

 

 

Following Justice League, Aber Heard will star in the Aquaman movie with Jason Momoa where she is said to be the love interest of the King of the Seven Seas.

James Wan Teases Aquaman Location

Since pre-production on Aquaman is expected to begin in late-December, it now appears that director James Wan (The Conjuring) is in the "location scouting" phase for the Warner Bros. superhero film. Hours ago, Wan took a selfie at the Amalfi Coast, a stretch of Southern Italy from basically the inner ankle part of the famous Italian Boot, and the caption included an Aquaman tease.

 

While Amalfi Coast could end up being a filming location, a large chunk of Aquaman is expected to be filmed in Australia. Though no official announcement has been made yet, it's assumed filming will take place at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast in Queensland since it possesses the largest purpose built film water tank in the country.

could we be hearing sometime in early or late November about Aquaman starting film production since we know Flash starts early 2017.

Can't wait to see this movie!

Director James Wan Says AQUAMAN Will Be A "Swashbuckling Action Adventure"

The Aquaman cast is already coming together with Jason Momoa as the titular hero, Amber Heard as Queen Mera, and Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and according to Wan, fans will get a brief taste of what the King of Atlantis' standalone film will be like in Justice League.

 

"I think Amber and Jason Momoa, in their moments in Justice League, [are] going to give the rest of the world a flavor of what their own standalone movie could be," said Wan. "And that is just scratching the surface of what I plan to do."

 

When asked about the tone of the 2018 film, Wan went on to reveal that Aquaman would be heading on a high seas adventure that takes inspiration from some classic films. "I kind of don't want to give too much away but know this: The spirit that I'm going for is like a classic sort of swashbuckling action adventure, sort of high seas adventure story," revealed Wan. "It's ultimately a quest story in the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Romancing the Stone."

When it comes to ‘Aquaman’, director James Wan says he’s in “a position of power”

We had heard that Aquaman was going to shoot in Australia, and last night The Daily Telegraph caught up with Aquaman director James Wan last night at the Australians in Film Awards in West Hollywood where he basically confirmed it.

 

“I’ve been wanting to bring a movie to Australia for a long time now, and it’s kind of hard because you don’t really dictate where you shoot your films,” Wan admitted. “But now, I’m in a position of power where I can say ‘If you guys want me to do this movie, this is how I’m going to do it’. It means I can make the film I want to make.”

Hopefully that means a movie that will deliver.

I like that Wan is thinking through the relationship between these characters in advance of shooting.

James Wan Says Aquaman And Mera's Chemistry Will Be Epic

According to Bustle, Wan says he has a grand romantic plan in wait for Aquaman and Mera. He likened the solo Aquaman flick to Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone, saying, “I really want to get the classic action-adventure-romance aspect through that, and I think that’s kind of fun.”

 

“It starts off initially with them not quite clicking with each other," Wan continued. "But then as the story progresses as they learn to try and work together, they get closer and closer. I think those stories are always such a great place for a filmmaker like myself to have fun with my actors."

 

The director went on to speak about Amber Heard’s work as Mera specifically. Describing her character as “super strong,” Wan said he feels like the dynamic between Aquaman and Mera is an interesting one because of her power. He half-joked, “You don’t wanna mess with her.”

 

"I think Amber will bring that sense of strength, but at the same time, we also want someone who has a sort of feminine quality to her as well. She’s a bit of a contrast to Momoa, who’s more of a muscular machine almost," Wan finished.

Lobo??!!

Jason Momoa Talks Justice League, Aquaman & Lobo

ET Canada caught up with Jason Momoa to talk Justice League and Aquaman, with Momoa offering his thoughts on the Justice League trailer.

 

"I was like 'this is Aquaman propaganda.' It was amazing," Jason Momoa said about the Justice League trailer. "Zack I just...I love him to death. He's amazing. It's his vision. He pulled me into play. He believes in me. He changed my life. I owe the guy a lot. The stuff that he shot and just seeing the trailer...I was like, 'Wow!' Because everything that I brought and wanted to bring - it's all the hopes that you want to bring to the character - he made sure that stuff stayed."

 

On his selection as Aquaman:

 

"There's a lot of things that went through my head when I saw Aquaman," Momoa offered. "There's a lot of things that went through my mind. Because I was thinking like, 'Lobo. I'm going to play some kind of bad guy.' I was like, 'Who am I gonna play?' And yeah, he said Aquaman, and I was like, 'Come again. Pardon me.' And then he explained why, "And I was like, buddy, I got your back.' "

 

Jason Momoa continued with his thoughts about signing on to play Aquaman for the long haul.

 

"It's the ups and downs. We're constantly unemployed as actors. Nothing is ever certain," Momoa said. "I signed on to this four or five years ago. Now we finished Justice League, and it's like, 'Wow. It's awesome.' Now I know what I am going to do in Aquaman. You hope you make the right decision, and I'm like, 'I can't wait. Can't wait.' "

Has Warner Bros. Moved AQUAMAN Up?

It was announced tonight that Paramount has scheduled Mission Impossible 6 for release on July 27, 2018. There's only one little problem with date--that's when Aquaman is set to debut.

 

No, they don't. Releasing two blockbuster franchise films on the same day makes a loser out of both studios. So, the question remains, why would Paramount schedule their movie here? Most likely, because Aquaman is moving up.

 

We know that things on the Aquaman front have been swimming along just fine--pre-production is getting started later this month. This kind of pace will allow the film to be finished long before the scheduled July 27 release date.

 

With the major changes impacting The Flash movie, there's almost no chance the film could have been ready for its March 2018 release date.

 

What's the simple solution here? Move Aquaman up to take it's place.

Willem Dafoe's Role Will Lead To A Bigger One In AQUAMAN

In an interview with The Guardian, Dafoe revealed exactly how prominent his role was in Justice League, and how important he would be to the stand-alone Aquaman movie in 2018.

 

"Well, Justice League is very particular because it’s an ensemble movie and my character is being introduced here in order to be a principal role in Aquaman. These films are a different experience. They have different responsibilities, different resources and different intentions. It’s nice to go between those worlds if you can. They serve different impulses.

 

This quote most likely means that Dafoe will have a cameo in Justice League, maybe one whole scene. Beyond that, he's preparing for a prominent role in the Aquaman film.

One whole scene that will most likely get cut just to appease the audience member who drinks all their pop during the trailers and can't hold it in for more than 90 minutes...