Aquaman was one of the most successful DC adaptations of all time and is the highest-grossing offering in the DC Extended Universe to date with a total worldwide box office take of $1.148 billion. Now, it’s clear that the Jason Momoa-led franchise could be as important to the DCEU as Iron Man was to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
There’s a lot of anticipation for the upcoming Aquaman sequel, and by the time of its release fans will have had to wait five years to revisit their favorite underwater world. If Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a hit, it could lead to other spinoffs from the franchise.
Aquaman Was a Huge Success That Inspired Related Media
When DC decided to take on Marvel in cinema, it was expected that Batman and Superman would be the two key franchises for the newer cinematic universe. The triumph of the lesser-known Aquaman was unprecedented, and the 2018 offering boosted the stuttering DCEU. The star power of Momoa at the helm certainly helped, and James Wan was an excellent choice for the director’s chair. However, it was the themes and scale of the picture that interested many viewers, as underwater adventures like it had never been done before.
The incredible impact of Aquaman has been seen throughout the wider entertainment industry, and there are now loads of offerings that have capitalized on the growing popularity of Atlantis and concepts like it. On mobile, for example, there are games like The Lost City of Atlantis and Dragons of Atlantis that have benefited from Aquaman’s success.
The online casino industry is another place that’s packed full of Atlantis-based titles. For example, LeoVegas has considered one of the best online casinos thanks to its deposit match welcome offer. It’s popular for its handy app and live games from Evolution gaming. On top of that, it’s considered the king of online and mobile casinos thanks to its wide array of games, many of which are based on Atlantis. These include Atlantis: The Forgotten Kingdom, Atlantis Rising, and Secrets of Atlantis.
Momoa Highly Involved with the Development
With a December 2023 release scheduled, it’s clear that Warner Bros. Pictures believes that the Aquaman sequel could be its biggest DC Entertainment release to date. There will be various teasers up to that point, and by the time it’s released fans will have a good idea about the movie’s premise. According to Wan and his writing team, the upcoming picture won’t be based on a particular thread from the comics, but it will combine a range of ideas from the source material.
One thing that we do know is that Momoa has had a heavy influence on the sequel, and he pitched his story idea during the production of Aquaman. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was brought in to write the screenplay again, after his strong work on the 2018 offering. Momoa has garnered a massive following since his breakthrough role as Khal Drogo in HBO Max’s Game of Thrones, and many people will watch the film simply to see him in action again.
New Film Will Act as the “Mothership” Alongside Spinoffs
While the various films in the DCEU act as an overall franchise and are designed to boost one another through the crossovers of characters, there are now plans in place for Aquaman to be a franchise within itself. The first picture introduced the seven kingdoms of Atlantis, and Wan has suggested that many of these could be explored in spinoffs. In essence, Aquaman would act as the “mothership,” while its related offerings would explore minor characters and settings.
This model has already been tested with Peacemaker, which was a spinoff released soon after The Suicide Squad in 2021. The HBO Max series focused on John Cena’s character and fleshed out his story massively. It has even brought about suggestions of further spinoffs, highlighting how the most popular DC offerings can branch off endlessly. This is something that could easily happen with Aquaman as well, with the potential for future movies and series.
With the recent news that Henry Cavill has stated he will return for more Superman movies; the next few years could be huge for the DCEU. The release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may mark the beginning of a new age in which the MCU’s biggest rival starts to put up more of a fight.
