Jason Momoa plays it cool despite shifting tides at DC Studios, hoping he can continue to play Aquaman in the DCU. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom are on the horizon, so the actor must gear up for questions on what future audiences can expect from the character amid the sequel's release.
Momoa had previously met with DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn to discuss the actor's future in the DCU. Momoa posted an exciting video of himself praising the new regime at Warner Bros. Discovery, promising exciting things to come. Fan speculation of Momoa playing Lobo ran wild after Gunn posted an image of the character. When Momoa was questioned about his future DCU opportunities, the actor expressed there is room for him to continue as Aquaman and play new characters. However, after recent comments from Momoa, his future as Aquaman may be shakier than initially anticipated, despite encouraging words from the actor.
In an interview with Total Film Magazine, Momoa states that DC Studios Co-CEO Peter Safran is a “dear friend” and that he is a producer on the upcoming Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. "I absolutely think Aquaman will be involved in the DCU. It’s on, bro – there’s no one bigger than Aquaman! But, also, I hope people are excited to see the new one," Momoa said. "It’s fun. I really enjoy doing comedy. There’s some really funny stuff with Patrick Wilson. I really adore him. We had a great time working together. It’s like we’re brothers. There’s a lot of cool stuff happening in this one."
This is not unlike Zachary Levi, who had continuously praised James Gunn and Peter Safran, and even the previous executive Walter Hamada, hoping he would continue as Shazam into the DCU. However, Shazam: Fury of the Gods bombed at the box office with arguably minimal support from the studio. Furthermore, Gunn's comments on a reboot were also speculated to have hurt Shazam 2's financial outcome, despite the studio's attempts to pin the blame on Dwayne Johnson because of a post-credit scene.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom may suffer the same fate, especially with poor test screenings for Aquaman 2. Even so, what the future holds for Levi's Shazam is uncertain. However, the actor was also good friends with Safran, so if Levi does not continue as the character, then there may be little hope that Momoa will continue as Aquaman should his upcoming DCEU film parallels similar results to Shazam 2.
Even though it was previously speculated that Momoa could continue as Aquaman in the DCU, and potentially even play Lobo as well, with the actor only being hopeful at this point, it just shows that conversations have not already taken place that secure Aquaman in James Gunn's DC slate, especially with no mention of the character in what Gunn describes as Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom will release on December 25, 2023.
Source: GamesRadar