Just when critics and analysts thought that Marvel Studios is making all the wiser moves in their Cinematic Universe, rival comic publisher DC Comics along with Warner Bros. dropped a major update on roping in The Conjuring filmmaker, James Wan to helm the upcoming Aquaman. While the Malaysian filmmaker has proved his mettle in the horror genre with successive hit franchises, it was early this year that Wan broke out of his comfort horror zone and creatively dealt with the seventh installment of the hit franchise Fast and Furious with Furious 7 which is 2015’s highest grossing movie yet ($1.5 billion world-wide).
James Wan’s filmography kick-started back in 2004 with the gory-horror tent-pole Saw which today has over 5 installments (however from other directors). Wan’s next venture too was a hit with the Insidious Chapters started back in 2010, the third installment of which has recently released in theatres and finally James Wan appalled the audiences with The Conjuring (2013) which is till date one of the best horror movies Hollywood has witnessed. Moving out of his forte, Wan continued to engross our attention taking over the reins of the Fast and Furious franchise from Justin Lin and delivered a high-octane action-packed Furious 7.
Still making headlines, the successful filmmaker has taken up the challenge of the superhero movie genre with DC Comics’ Aquaman. Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa will play the King of Atlantis as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman. Although Aquaman hits theatres not before 2018 but Jason’s unraveled dark, spooky look has already aroused enough attention for fans to eagerly await for the Atlantian to grace the silver-screen.
With James Wan’s successive resume and Jason Momoa’s mysterious, gritty look, we at AnimationXpress.com take a wild guess at what DC Comics and Warner Bros. could cook up with Aquaman.
Gore Violence – For those who have seen James Wan’s ticket to success- Saw back in 2004 – wouldn’t deny the extent of violence the director is capable of getting on the big screen. While Aquamanis surely a comic adaptation with a different target audience, one cannot expect the bloody gore, not unless Warner Bros. wouldn’t mine an A Certificate (which is hardly possible) to the movie. Never the less some violent action sequences are sure to stun us as the muscular Jason Momoa would definitely put his spear to some good use.
Amazing Story-telling – This may not be the debut for the Justice Leaguer on the big screen, but DC is hell-bent on getting things right this time and so getting James Wan on-board does make sense because Aquaman does deserve a great story-teller. Unlike a typical superhero movie, Aquaman is much more than a guy donning a spandex costume and saving the world. On the lines of Marvel’s Thor, Aquaman would be the tale of Arthur Curry who discovers his true origins of being the true heir to the throne of Atlantis (an underwater world). Be it The Insidious Chapters or The Conjuring, Wan scores high grades when it comes to story-telling with crisp editing and an engrossing screenplay through which he communicates his story aesthetically.
Darker tone –This is surely expected, given the direction DC Cinematic Universe is heading. We’ve seen Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight franchise amassing over $2 billion depicting the dark, grim Caped Crusader. Zack Synder’s Man of Steel (2013) too underwent a serious tone unlike Christopher Reeve’s incarnation of the Superman back in the 1970s and even the Batman v Superman – Dawn of Justice trailer doesn’t seem to hint at a lighter tone of direction at play like the Marvel movies which try and offer a blend of geeky humor and sleek action sequences. Even Jason’s first official look spooks you out, so none can expect him wise-cracking a joke anytime in the movie.
Some hard-hitting action – The Conan – The Barbarian actor, Jason Momoa’s first official look truly shows him more of a barbarian than an Atlantian. The green and orange Aquaman from the comic strips gets totally lost in this live-action adaptation and what we have is a six and a half foot beefed up and tattooed fierce Momoa ready to spear his enemy at the first chance. The actor’s built surely indicates some hard-hitting action sequences giving the pumped-up actor a fair chance to flex his muscles on-screen. Also Wan managed a credible job with the action sequences of Furious 7, so Warner Bros. wouldn’t shy giving Wan the levy to depict some oceanic and thunderous battle sequences.
Aquaman is a long time from now (2018), till then James Wan will continue to scare the audiences with his recently released Insidious – Chapter 3 and the upcoming sequel to The Conjuring, The Enfield Poltergeist slated for a 2016 release.