Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Aquaman. Directed by James Wan from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, it is the sequel to Aquaman (2018) and the 15th and final film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Jason Momoa stars as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who must work with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to prevent Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) from killing his family and using the cursed Black Trident to overheat the world while searching for the lost seventh kingdom of the seas. Amber Heard, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, and Nicole Kidman also star in supporting roles. Wan also produced the film with Peter Safran and Rob Cowan for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Momoa pitched a story for an Aquaman sequel during the first film's production. Wan did not want to rush a sequel after the first film's commercial success but agreed in January 2019 to oversee development. Johnson-McGoldrick signed on to return as screenwriter a month later, and Wan was confirmed to be returning as director in August 2020. He said the film would expand on Aquaman worldbuilding, have a more serious tone, and feature themes such as climate change. Contrarily, the final product is presented as a buddy comedy between Aquaman and Orm, and was inspired by the Silver Age of Comic Books with a retro science fiction vibe similar to the works of animator Ray Harryhausen and horror films of the 1960s, specifically Planet of the Vampires (1965). Wan announced the sequel's title in June 2021, and principal photography began later that month and concluded in January 2022. Filming took place in the United Kingdom, Hawaii, Los Angeles, and New Jersey, with additional filming in New Zealand. Several reshoots took place between July 2022 and June 2023 to alter the storyline while some actors' roles were reduced, including Heard's, whose involvement was the subject of controversy during production.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premiered at a fan event at the Grove, Los Angeles on December 19, 2023, and was released in the United States on December 22. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $440 million worldwide against a production budget of $205–215 million.
Plot
Four years after becoming king of Atlantis, Arthur Curry has married Mera and has a son, Arthur Jr., while splitting his life between land and sea. Meanwhile, David Kane / Black Manta continues to seek revenge against Arthur for his father's death, working with marine biologist Stephen Shin to find Atlantean artifacts. When Shin accidentally discovers a cavern in Antarctica, Manta finds a Black Trident that possesses him, its creator promising to give him the power to destroy Arthur and Atlantis. Five months later, Manta breaks into an Orichalcum reserve on Atlantis to steal it and power his Atlantean machines, which are of ancient origin but of unknown design to modern Atlanteans. Caught midway, they are chased by Atlantean forces, with Mera injured in the ensuing battle. Arthur learns that this usage of Orichalcum, which emits high quantities of greenhouse gases, has not only raised planetary temperatures and caused extreme weather and ocean acidification but also nearly caused a planetary extinction in the past, when used by an ancient Atlantean kingdom.
To learn where Manta is hiding, Arthur breaks his half-brother Orm out of prison. Together, they visit a pirate haven called the Sunken Citadel, where they meet Kingfish to learn of Manta's whereabouts. The information they obtain leads them to a volcanic island in the South Pacific, where they battle Manta's forces after navigating flora and fauna mutated by the Orichalcum. There, when Orm touches the Black Trident, it shows him visions of its provenance. Orm learns the trident was created by Kordax, the brother of King Atlan and ruler of the lost kingdom of Necrus. He was imprisoned with blood magic following a failed attempt to usurp the throne. Realizing the blood of any of Atlan's descendants could release Kordax, the pair deduce Manta has kidnapped Arthur Jr. With Shin's help, the Atlanteans determine that Kordax's prison and the lost kingdom of Necrus are located in Antarctica.
In Necrus, Arthur fights Manta and is almost killed before Mera arrives and saves him. Manta throws the Black Trident at her as she is taking her son to safety, but Orm catches it before it strikes her. The spirit of Kordax leaves Manta for Orm, who proceeds to fight Arthur and uses Arthur's blood to free Kordax. Arthur convinces Orm to give up his hatred for him, allowing him to destroy both Kordax and the Black Trident. With Kordax's magic vanishing, Necrus starts to collapse. Manta refuses Arthur's help, allowing himself to fall into a fissure. The Atlanteans and Shin safely escape and determine that Orm has redeemed himself. Arthur and Mera plan to inform Atlantis that he died, on the condition that he remain hidden and vacate Atlantis to the surface world. Believing the unification of the underwater kingdoms and the surface world is necessary to prevent further damage to the oceans and planet, Arthur reveals Atlantis' existence through an announcement at the United Nations, declaring his intentions of making the kingdom a member state.
Cast
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman:The half-Atlantean, half-human king of Atlantis who can swim at supersonic speeds and summon and command aquatic life, and is the father of Arthur Jr. with Mera. Producer Peter Safran called Arthur the "ultimate outsider", explaining he "doesn't believe he's part of the surface world or Atlantis" and he never felt he belonged in either world. Director James Wan said the film was a true continuation of the character's story from the first film Aquaman (2018), explaining that Arthur is forced to juggle his duties as the king of Atlantis with his role as a father while protecting both his family and kingdom. Safran said the heart of the story is that Arthur is a superhero who is both human and superhuman, involved in an epic battle with high stakes. Wan felt that including Arthur Jr. in the film was a natural extension of the first film and contrasted Arthur's role as king with the juxtaposition of his domestic responsibilities as a father. Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius:Arthur's Atlantean half-brother and the former king of Atlantis who is stripped of his title as the Ocean Master. He is imprisoned in the Sahara desert by the Deserter tribe for assassinating the Fisherman King, with a limited water supply to dampen his powers, causing him to bear a gaunt and scraggly appearance. Orm is freed from prison and recruited by Arthur to help find and defeat Black Manta. Amber Heard as Mera:Arthur's wife and the mother of Arthur Jr., who can control water. She is the queen of Atlantis and the former princess of Xebel, as well as King Nereus' daughter. The character is injured early in the film and recovers for much of its events, before joining Aquaman, Orm, and Atlanna in their journey to defeat Black Manta. Several of Heard's scenes were cut during reshoots. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta:A ruthless pirate and high-seas mercenary who uses an Atlantean armored suit and wields the powerful Black Trident, seeking to kill Arthur and his family as revenge for the death of his father. Wan said Black Manta's love for his father and need to avenge his death take a darker turn in the film, with the character becoming more powerful. The director had planned while working on the first film to have Black Manta, who he described as having been a "glorified side character", return as the main antagonist in its sequel, opting to establish his conflictive relationship with Arthur to give him a bigger role in this film. Black Manta seeks to obtain blood from a descendant of the Atlantean king Atlan to free the Black Trident's creator Kordax from his imprisonment in the lost kingdom of Necrus, and commands an army of undead warriors from Necrus using the Black Trident which possesses him. Wan said Black Manta's suit, which forgoes the all-black power suit from the first film for a design that was remade in all-silver and more accurate to the comics' version, as well as his ship and technology, were inspired by the aesthetic of the Silver Age Aquaman comics and Ivan Reis's The New 52 comics. Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin: A marine biologist obsessed with finding Atlantis who works for Black Manta after rescuing him in the first film Dolph Lundgren as Nereus: The king of Xebel and Mera's father. Lundgren had a larger role in the original version of the film, which he said was reduced during reshoots. Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry: Arthur's father who works as a lighthouse keeper at Amnesty Bay Martin Short as the voice of :A gigantic piscine humanoid of indeterminate species and the confident ruler of the Sunken Citadel, an underwater pirate haven, whom Arthur and Orm visit to locate Black Manta. He has a smarmy and cocky voice, behaves like a classical Roman emperor with an extravagant lifestyle and lady servants, and is guarded by humanoid hammerhead shark bodyguards. Nicole Kidman as Atlanna:Arthur and Orm's mother and the former queen of Atlantis. Atlanna's role as Arthur's advisor on how the underwater world works was able to be expanded upon given the absence of Nuidis Vulko, who served in that role in the first film and is revealed to have been killed off-screen due to a plague indirectly caused by Black Manta's actions in this film and humanity's pollution from the land affecting the oceans.
New additions to the cast are Vincent Regan as Atlan, the first king of Atlantis, replacing Graham McTavish from the first film; Jani Zhao as , a loyal member of Black Manta's crew; Indya Moore as Karshon, an Atlantean and the leader of the High Council of the Seven Kingdoms who serves as a political barrier for Arthur by opposing his desire to reveal Atlantis to the human world; and Pilou Asbæk as Kordax, the undead king of the lost kingdom of Necrus, the Black City, who was Atlan's brother and the creator of the cursed Black Trident, through which Kordax's evil spirit possesses Black Manta. Karshon is not a humanoid shark character as depicted in the comics, while this version of Kordax is a composite character of the original comics' version and Orin, which was the name of Atlan's brother and Aquaman in some comic iterations.
Underwater creatures of the Seven Kingdoms returning from the first film are the Brine King, voiced by John Rhys-Davies and physically portrayed on-set by Andrew Crawford; Storm, a giant seahorse and Arthur's steed; and the octopus T.O.P.O., which stands for "Tactical Observation and Pursuit Operative", who is a tactical covert operative for Atlantis that aids Arthur in freeing Orm and on their quest, in addition to playing several instruments, such as the drums. Wan said T.O.P.O., who was created through visual effects, was a " character" in the film after briefly appearing in the first film, with an undisclosed actor occasionally standing in for T.O.P.O. with a stick puppet for Momoa to act against. The director described the character and Arthur as having a fun slightly antagonistic relationship, while Momoa said T.O.P.O. added a lot of comedy which complemented Arthur being "very salty". Various infants portray Arthur and Mera's son Arthur Jr., who has similar water-based abilities as his parents. Safran's wife Natalia makes a cameo appearance as a member of the High Council, while Michael Beach appears uncredited as Black Manta's father Jesse Kane through archive footage from the first film. Beach was approached to film some flashback scenes, but was unavailable due to scheduling issues.
Production Development Interest and early work