As a follow-up to the hit movie Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa and directed by James Wan, which surprisingly made $1.148 billion worldwide, Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom is expected to release later this year. However, the film has trouble adjusting to the new schedule due to multiple reshoots and drama surrounding the studio.
According to multiple sources reported by The Hollywood Reporter, there have been around three rounds of reshoots in New Zealand since mid-June for the film. In addition to the reshoots and poor test screenings, the shooting schedule was also set back due to the 2020 pandemic, overworked VFX artists, and the change of leadership at DC Studios.
The sequel was greenlit under the former Warner Bros CEO Toby Emmerich and DC Studios head Walter Hamada before the Warner Bros Discovery merger. CEO David Zaslav operates Warner Bros Discovery, and creative-business duo James Gunn and Peter Safran run DC Studios.
Before leaving, Hamada wished for Michael Keaton's Batman to appear in future DC films, including The Flash, Batgirl, and The Lost Kingdom. Similar to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in the MCU, who acts as a correspondent between all the superheroes. However, Keaton's scenes were soon replaced by Ben Affleck in a round of reshoots.
Ben Affleck's Aquaman 2 Cameo Is Reportedly Scrapped
After the shift in power and a series of delayed release dates from March 2023 to the current December 2023 date, it is rumored that neither Batman is in the recent cut of the film. These reports have concerned a lot of DC fans following the poor quality and low box office of the most recent release of The Flash, which only raked in $106 million domestically compared to the estimated $200 million budget.
Lost Kingdom was initially greenlit for a $205 million budget. But due to delays and reshoots, that number is expected to change. Only time will tell (and DC fans) if the unusual amount of reshoots is worth the higher budget. The director James Wan remains hopeful for the future of the film, "This movie has something to talk about [climate change], but it's still a fun action-fantasy movie."
As for the future of DC studios, Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom will officially be the last film slated to run within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which is mainly credited to the work of Zack Snyder. Gunn hopes to launch and reignite the DC brand with the launch of his new film, Superman: Legacy, which is expected to be released in 2025.