Director James Wan finally addresses "Aquaman 2" or "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" delay, which many believe has something to do with Amber Heard's legal drama. The filmmaker doesn't mention Johnny Depp's ex as the reason for the pushback, revealing he needs more time to do the sequel right.
James Wan shared the news in a post on Instagram on Wednesday, August 24. Instead of the original March 2023 release date, "Aquaman 2" will be out in December 2023.
The Australian director admitted he's a bit superstitious, so he loves the December release more, considering the first "Aquaman" movie was out in the same month in 2018. His post came with an artwork showing the "big, epic world-building" they're creating, revealing he needs time to do it right.
However, he continued that the images "barely scratch" the surface of the film, as he hasn't shown the weird and wonderful characters and creatures of this fictional world yet. With that said, he can't wait to show it to everyone, though they have to wait a little longer for it.
Metro added that it's thought that the reason for the "Aquaman 2" delay is that the film needs more time in post-production. The sequel will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman himself and Amber Heard as Mera.
The actress' role has proven to be very controversial after losing her defamation trial against Johnny Depp in June. There has been a long petition calling for her removal from the movie.
As of now, the petition has more than 4.6 million signatures after gaining traction during the trial. "The Rum Diary" star claimed her role in "Aquaman 2" was already reduced and that she fought really hard to remain in the movie.
However, DC Films President at Warner Bros. admitted during the bombshell defamation trial that there were fears of "a lack of chemistry" between Amber Heard and Jason Momoa, and there were talks of recasting her.
Meanwhile, Jason Momoa teased on his Instagram Story in June that Ben Affleck was back on set to film "Aquaman 2," though he couldn't reveal what he was doing, calling it a "top secret," per People. Jennifer Lopez's husband is known for playing the role of Batman in several DC movies.
In the caption, Lisa Bonet's ex said Bruce and Arthur, their DC role names, were reunited and revealed he loved and missed Ben Affleck. He then teased that "all great things" were coming for "Aquaman 2."
