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AQUAMAN - Aquaman & Mera Poster
Aquaman
Attribution Information
Directed by James Wan
Produced by Peter Safran
Rob Cowan
Zack Snyder (Exec.)
Deborah Snyder (Exec.)
Walter Hamada (Exec.)
Geoff Johns (Exec.)
Jon Berg (Exec.)
Written by Story
James Wan
Geoff Johns
Will Beall
Screenplay
Will Beall
David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick
Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
Production Information
Distributor DC Films
Warner Bros.
The Safran Company
Cruel & Unusual Films
Mad Ghost Productions
Budget $160 - $200,000,000
Revenue $1,147,161,807
Release Date December 21, 2018
Duration 143 minutes
Chronological Information
Preceded by Justice League
Followed by Shazam!


"My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet. But their love saved the world. They made me what I am: a son of the land, king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am... Aquaman."
—Arthur Curry

Aquaman is an American film based on the DC Comics character Aquaman. It is the sixth installment in the DC Comics' Extended Universe. The film is directed by James Wan, produced by Peter Safran, with Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and Zack and Deborah Snyder serving as executives and from a story written by James Wan, Geoff Johns and Will Beall and the script being written by Will Beall and David Leslie Johnson. It will be produced by The Safran Company and distributed by Warner Bros.

Development began in 2015 where writers were asked to pitch story ideas that fit within the cohesive story going forward for the shared film universe.

It was released December 21, 2018.

Synopsis[]

The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…A King.

Plot[]

On a stormy night in Amnesty Bay, Maine in 1985, Thomas Curry is keeping his house from being torn apart from the storm when he discovers a woman unconscious at the shores. After taking her into safety from the storm she throws up water, upon awakening to see Thomas she immediate attacks him, picking him up by the throat with her trident in hand. After his TV alerts her she immediately throws her trident into it, after she passes out due to her wounds. The next morning, she awakens to Thomas’s dog not knowing what it is or what anything above the sea is like. Atlanna eats a goldfish near her as Thomas enters the room with tea saying he was gonna make her eggs instead. After showing her how to drink the tea, she introduces herself as “Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis” to which Thomas accepts and introduces himself as “Thomas, keeper of Lighthouse”. After some time together, the two fall in love and some months later, Atlanna becomes pregnant. After giving birth, during a nasty hurricane the news declared “Hurricane Arthur”, it gave Thomas the idea to name the child Arthur after the legend of the king, to which Atlanna agrees seeing the best in him and that he’s proof that both their people can co-exist and he could unite their worlds one day. Three years later when Arthur is still a toddler after being told the story of Atlan and his lost trident after their dogs barks to alert them of something coming. Atlantean soldiers attack them charging into the house to retrieve Atlanna under the command of King Orvax her betrothed she left behind because she doesn’t love him or wanted to marry. Thomas hides the child while Atlanna fights off the soldiers and kills them. Realizing she must leave to protect them Atlanna tells Thomas she will return to him one day at the docks of his house at dawn and to not let Arthur forget about her as she returns to the sea to Atlantis.

Years later when Arthur is nine he is on a school trip to an aquarium and some bullies see him talking to the fishes. After they start to tease him and slam him against the glass, a shark comes and nearly breaks the glass to scare the bullies off Arthur. Scaring everyone in the aquarium until Arthur raises his hand towards the shark and calms it down with his powers, shocking everyone watching as Arthur turns around to face them with his eyes changing color and all the sea life in the aquarium circling around him.

Years later Arthur had grown into a adult, after the events of Steppenwolf's invasion, out in the Pacific Ocean a Russian submarine being hijacked by pirates lead by a myserious man and his his father. After killing the ship's captain and locking up the soldiers, Jesse congratulates him on the hijack with an old knife he's kept his whole life, telling him how his father was in the navy and swam so fast that his shipmates gave him the code name "Manta" and after the wars ended everyone turned their backs on him which led to him going back to the sea to steal. Upon one of his quests he came across the knife from the ocean and gave it to Jesse when he was ready, now he passes the knife on to him. When David accepts the knife they are hit with something, David is alerted that what hit the ship looks like a man. The ship is hit again and leads David to believe it's "Aquaman", who lifts the ship up to the surface.

Lifting the ship to the surface, Arthur infiltrates the ship and takes down several of David's men showing off his brutal strength and immunity to many weapons on the surface world. After finding the Russian soldiers and helping them escape David shoots at him which causes him to fall over into the lower half of the sub and David fights Arthur. During the fight, David reveals to him that he's been looking foward to this moment for a long time, when Arthur questions who he is, David states he's been traveling the high seas looking for him. Arthur then insists that this shouldn't become a habit of them running into eachother and easily fights him off.

David witnesses Arthur's brute strength and his high immunity to weapons such as his swords and bullets.

Cast[]

By type 
Show/Hide
Cast

Cast

Appearances[]

Characters

  • Arthur Curry
  • Atlan (First appearance)
  • Atlanna (First appearance)
  • Blue whales (First appearance)
  • Brine (First appearance)
  • Brine King (First appearance)
  • Cue Ball (First appearance)
  • David Kane (First appearance)
  • Dolphins (First appearance)
  • Eels (First appearance)
  • Fisherman Princess (First appearance)
  • Goat
  • Humpback whales
  • H.P. Lovecraft (mentioned only)
  • Jellyfish (First appearance)
  • Jesse Kane (First appearance)
  • Karathen (First appearance)
  • Manta rays (First appearance)
  • Mera
  • Mike (First appearance)
  • Matt (First appearance)
  • Murk (First appearance)
  • Narwhals (First appearance)
  • Nereus (First appearance)
  • Nuidis Vulko (First appearance)
  • Octopus (First appearance)
  • Orcas (First appearance)
  • Orm Marius (First appearance)
  • Orvax Marius (mentioned only)
  • Ricou (First appearance)
  • Rina (First appearance)
  • Sea Dragons (First appearance)
  • Sea Turtles (First appearance)
  • Sharks (First appearance)
  • Stephen Shin (First appearance)
  • Steppenwolf (mentioned only)
  • Stingrays (First appearance)
  • Swordfish (First appearance)
  • Thomas Curry (First appearance)
  • Trench (First appearance)
  • Tylosaurus (First appearance)

Events

  • Attack on the Atlantean Vault (mentioned only)
  • Attack on the Council of Kings (First appearance)
  • Attack on the Curry Lighthouse (First appearance)
  • Attack on the Nuclear Submarine (First appearance)
  • Attack on the Surface World (First appearance)
  • Battle of Sicily (First appearance)
  • Battle of the Brine Kingdom (First appearance)
  • Battle of the Trench (First appearance)
  • Capture of Arthur Curry (First appearance)
  • Duel in the Ring of Fire (First appearance)
  • Incoronation of Arthur Curry (First appearance)

Locations

Objects

  • Atlan's Trident (First appearance)
  • Atlanna's Crown (First appearance)
  • Atlanna's Trident
  • Atlantean Armor
  • Atlantean King's Crown (First appearance)
  • Atlantean Skinsuits
  • Aquaman Suit (First appearance)
  • Black Manta's Knives (First appearance)
  • Black Manta Suit (First appearance)
  • Brine King's Trident (First appearance)
  • Fisherman Trident (First appearance)
  • Fisherman Armor (First appearance)
  • Gladiator Armor
    • Arthur's Gladiator Armor (First appearance)
    • Orm's Gladiator Armor (First appearance)
  • Lighthouse Snowglobe (First appearance)
  • Men-of-War Armors (First appearance)
  • Men-of-War Rifles (First appearance)
  • Men-of-War Swords (First appearance)
  • Manta's Knife (First appearance)
  • Mera's Crown
  • Nereus' Trident (First appearance)
  • Ocean Master Suit (First appearance)
  • Orvax's Trident (First appearance)
  • Royal Armor
    • Orm's Royal Armors (First appearance)
    • Nereus' Royal Armor (First appearance)
  • The Dunwich Horror (First appearance)
  • Vulko's Spear (First appearance)
  • Xebel Armor

Organizations and titles

Vehicles and vessels

  • Airplane
  • Atlantean Warships (First appearance)
  • Stealth Sub (First appearance)
  • Boats
  • Mera's Ship (First appearance)
  • Submarines
  • Stingray Ships (First appearance)

Behind the Scenes[]

Development[]

An Aquaman film was announced as being in development as part of the wider DC Comics Extended Universe plans when the release dates for all future films was revealed in October 2014.[1] It was announced on August 12, 2014, that Warner Bros. had hired screenwriters Will Beall and Kurt Johntsad to pen two separate scripts for an upcoming Aquaman film. The film was being developed on dual tracks, meaning that two scripts will be written, one by Beall and one by Johnstad, but only the best version will move forward.[2] It was announced that Aquaman will be released in 2018 as the seventh installment of the DC Comics Extended Universe, with Momoa starring.[3] The studio was looking at Jeff Nichols and Noam Murro to direct the film.[4] On April 10, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter announced that James Wan is being considered to direct the film.[5] On June 3, 2015, Deadline reports that Wan has signed on to direct the film and will oversee script duties with Johnstad.[6] On November 12, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that David Leslie Johnson will be writing the film's script. In January 2016, Variety reports that Amber Heard is in talks for the role of Mera in this film and the Justice League film. On July 22nd, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Will Beall will be writing the new script for Aquaman from a detailed story treatment from James Wan and Geoff Johns. [7] On December 12, 2016, Patrick Wilson was announced to have joined the cast as Orm/Ocean Master. The stunt team that worked on Mad Mad: Fury Road will work on the stunts for Aquaman.[8] On January 31, 2017, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was announced to have joined the cast as Black Manta. [9] [10] Nicole Kidman, who Wan has been circling for weeks is in early talks to play Queen Atlanna, the mother of Aquaman and Ocean Master. [11] Temuera Morrison is in early talks to play Thomas Curry, Arthur's father. [12] Dolph Lundgren has been cast as King Nereus of Xebel. [13] Ludi Lin was announced to have joined the cast as Murk, the leader of the Men-of-War. [14] Michael Beach had been announced to join the film as Jesse Kane, a member of a group of high sea hijackers. [15] Graham McTavish was also delighted to announce on his Twitter account, that he has a role in the film that has yet to be confirmed. [16] On April 12, 2018, during the film's pickups and reshoots, James Wan took to Twitter to announce that Randall Park had joined the cast as Dr. Shin. [17] On July 13, 2018; a promotional photo was released of Djimon Hounsou, Natalia Safran, and Sophia Forrest portraying the Fisherman King, Fisherman Queen, and Princess Scales.[18] On November 23, 2018, Julie Andrews was announced to be portraying Karathen in the film. [19]

Filming[]

Pre-production started at the end of November 2016 In Queensland, Australia where filming will begin in early 2017. [20] [21] Jason Momoa revealed filming for Aquaman will begin in May or June.[22] Filming officially began on May 2nd, 2017, in Villiage Roadshow, Australia, with Don Burgess serving as cinematographer for the film, which is filmed under the working title Ahab, filming will go from Australia to Canada, Italy, and Africa. Filming is said to last until Halloween. After 5 months of filming, WB decided to film in Australia with additional footage taken in Canada at the same time while filming in Austalia. On October 21, 2017, James Wan, Jason Momoa, and Amber Heard announced that filming had officially wrapped in Australia.


Critical Reaction[]

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave Aquaman an approval rating of 64%, based on 332 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. According to the site's critical consensus, "Aquaman sswims with its entertainingly ludicrous tide, offering up CGI superhero spectacle that delivers energetic action with an emphasis on good old-fashioned fun." Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, gave the film an average score of 55 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.


Novelization[]

Trivia[]

Media[]

References[]

  1. http://deadline.com/2014/10/wb-dc-superhero-movies-batman-superman-wonder-woman-flash-851956/
  2. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aquaman-movie-hooks-two-writers-724966
  3. http://www.slashfilm.com/dc-movie-slate-revealed/
  4. http://www.latino-review.com/news/exclusive-a-new-director-contender-emerges-for-aquaman
  5. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/furious-7-director-james-wan-787542
  6. http://deadline.com/2015/06/james-wan-aquaman-jason-momoa-dc-comics-warner-bros-1201437282/
  7. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aquaman-movie-hooks-gangster-squad-913639
  8. http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/12/29/20/02/gold-coast-stunt-performers-rehearse-ahead-aquaman-filming
  9. http://variety.com/2017/film/news/aquaman-villain-black-manta-get-down-yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-1201974589/
  10. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aquaman-finds-black-manta-villain-get-down-actor-970629?utm_source=google.com&utm_medium=referral
  11. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/nicole-kidman-talks-join-aquaman-970652
  12. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-actor-temuera-morrison-talks-join-aquaman-971183
  13. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aquaman-dolph-lundgren-joins-cast-993459
  14. http://deadline.com/2017/05/power-rangers-star-ludi-lin-aquaman-warner-bros-1202094026/
  15. http://deadline.com/2017/06/aquaman-michael-beach-casting-1202118326/
  16. https://twitter.com/grahammctavish/status/916819040009687041
  17. https://twitter.com/creepypuppet/status/984499957305520128
  18. http://ew.com/movies/2018/07/13/aquaman-fisherman-king-photo/
  19. https://ew.com/movies/2018/11/23/julie-andrews-aquaman/
  20. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/amber-heard-coming-back-to-australia-for-an-extended-stay-to-film-aquaman/news-story/2e78b76e5a7006ca8fe7adbb28c48357
  21. http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/entertainment/king-of-the-seven-seas-to-make-splash-on-gold-coast-as-ragnarok-turns-to-thordust/news-story/f7f1f06e13b6b492bfe91f686097502d
  22. http://batman-news.com/2017/01/11/jason-momoa-zack-snyder-genius-aquaman/

See Also[]

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External Links[]


Aquaman universe
Media Aquaman | Untitled Aquaman film
Characters Arthur Curry/Aquaman | Mera | Thomas Curry | Atlanna | Nuidis Vulko | Stephen Shin | Ricou | Rina | Scales | Atlan | Karathen | Brine King | Nereus
Enemies Ocean Master | Black Manta | Jesse Kane | Trench | Murk | Orvax Marius
Miscellaneous Atlantis | Xebel | Atlanna's Trident | Atlantean | Fisherman | Fisherman Kingdom | Council of Kings | The Trench Kingdom | The Brine | The Missing Kingdom | Men-of-War | Mera's Crown | Atlantean Armor | Atlantean Skinsuit | Arthur's Royal Armor | Amnesty Bay | Curry Lighthouse | Atlan's Trident | Aquaman Suit | Mera's Royal Armor | Orvax's Trident | Ocean Master Suit | Black Manta's Knives | Black Manta Suit | The Deserter Kingdom
DC Extended Universe
Media Aquaman: Aquaman | Untitled Aquaman film
Batman: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | The Batman
Birds of Prey : Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)
Cyborg: Cyborg
Flash: The Flash: Flashpoint
Green Lantern: Green Lantern Corps
Justice League: Justice League | Untitled Justice League film
Justice League Dark: Justice League Dark
New Gods: The New Gods
Shazam: Shazam | Black Adam
Superman: Man of Steel | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Untitled Superman film
Villains: Suicide Squad | Suicide Squad 2 | Gotham City Sirens | Harley Quinn vs The Joker
Wonder Woman:
Wonder Woman | Wonder Woman 1984
Super-heroes Superman | Batman | Wonder Woman | Flash | Aquaman | Cyborg | Shazam | Robin | Hal Jordan | John Stewart | John Constantine | Zatanna | Jason Blood | Etrigan | Swamp Thing | Deadman | Nightwing | Batgirl | Black Canary | Huntress
Characters Lois Lane | Alfred Pennyworth | Perry White | Amanda Waller | Mera | Iris West | James Gordon | Jonathan Kent | Martha Kent | Jor-El | Lara Lor-Van | Steven Lombard | General Swanwick | Emil Hamilton | Nathan Hardy | Steven Trevor | Rick Flag | Thomas Wayne | Jenny Jurwich | Katana | Lucius Fox | Nuidis Vulko | Hippolyta | Antiope | Renee Montoya | Cassandra Cain
Enemies Lex Luthor | Joker | Darkseid | General Zod | Steppenwolf | Black Adam | Harley Quinn | Faora-Ul | Doomsday | Deadshot | Captain Boomerang | Enchantress | Killer Croc | Parademons | Mercy Graves | Slipknot | El Diablo | Penguin | Catwoman | Poison Ivy | Ocean Master | Black Manta | Cheetah | Black Mask | Victor Zsasz
Miscellaneous Metropolis | Gotham City | Oa | Daily Planet | LexCorp Industries | Guardians of the Universe | Batcave | Wayne Enterprises | Batmobile | Green Lantern Corps | Smallville | Themyscira | Krypton | Earth | Timeline | Easter Eggs | Atlantis | Xebel | S.T.A.R. Labs | Justice League | Task Force X | Speed Force | Alien | Human | Arkham Asylum | Belle Reve | Midway City | Central City | Ferris Air | A.R.G.U.S. | Mother Box | Apokolips | New Genesis | Rock of Eternity | Star City
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