After his appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and later in Justice League, director James Wan wanted to give Aquaman his proper due. As such, he made the upcoming DCEU movie a standalone film that’s “not necessarily part of a 'cinematic universe.'”

“We’ve seen him in other films, but I really wanted to tell a standalone story,” the director told Den of Geek before the film’s London premiere. “People ask me why. And I’m like: ‘Listen, you guys have so many movies to do with Superman and Batman and all that already. Let’s give this guy his time in the limelight. This is his opportunity. He’s never had the chance before. Let’s just let it be his film, and get that right. And maybe then we can have fun mixing him up with the other characters.”

RELATED: REVIEW: Aquaman Is Entertaining and Visually Stunning

Wan said the goal has always been to make a successful standalone movie instead of filling the project with DCEU Easter eggs that reference the other films or characters.

“It’s ultimately about the journey that he goes on," he said. "I didn’t want to jam the other characters in just for the sake of jamming characters in there."

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus and Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna. The film opens on Dec. 21.

KEEP READING: Aquaman's Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed