The trials and tribulations around DC Studios over at Warner Bros. Discovery have given us more drama than any of their latest films. While James Gunn and Peter Safran took over helming the division earlier this year, there are still two holdovers from previous regimes: Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
James Wan directed the first Aquaman as well as the upcoming sequel, and based on a recent report, it appears that he had to deal with… a lot while DC Studios tried to get their act together.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie went through several iterations as different studio heads with different visions tried to put their fingerprint on the film. At one point, according to THR, former DC Films head Walter Hamada wanted Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader to become “akin to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the Marvel movies.” Changing release dates quashed that dream, but Ben Affleck was also brought in at one point to portray his take on The Dark Knight.
The latest version, however, is fresh out of Bats, and it sounds like it might say that way.
The third round of reshoots, an excessive amount even for a blockbuster film, recently wrapped up. The impetus for the number is due in large part to earlier versions of the movie not doing well in test screenings. Gunn and Safran signed off on this five-day reshoot, which included both Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, and Patrick Wilson, who plays Aquaman’s nemesis (at least in the first film).
What will the final product look like after all this behind-the-scenes hullabaloo? We’ll get to see for ourselves (that is, if the premiere date isn’t moved again) on December 20, 2023.
