Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, has revealed that next year's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will have a more comedic tone than the first movie.
In an interview with GQ, Momoa shared that despite the movie's focus on how climate change is affecting the ocean, a topic he takes very seriously, as a whole it's "a lot funnier" than the first Aquaman. In the interview, he struggled with figuring out what he could and couldn't reveal. "I have a great time with… there’s a lot of…. It’s a throwback to...," he said, before giving up. “I don’t want to give too much away."
Aquaman's Environmental Consciousness
Some of the most serious parts of the first Aquaman contained a criticism of humanity for destroying the natural world through pollution and climate change. Returning to that theme in the sequel, on which he is also credited as a writer, was important to Momoa, who was recently announced UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Advocate for Life Below Water. “Aquaman is the most made-fun-of superhero in the world," said Momoa. "But it’s amazing to be able to bring awareness of what is happening to our planet. It’s not some story that’s been told over and over, [it’s a] movie about what’s happening right now but in a fantasy world."
While little is known yet about the plot of the upcoming movie, the synopsis may have teased that the story will revolve around Atlantis facing an environmental disaster. In the first movie, the villain, Price Orm/Oceanmaster, was a radical environmentalist who hated humans for the damage they had done to the oceans through pollution. The sequel, which will see Arthur Curry/Aquaman forced to team up with Oceanmaster to take on a threat to Atlantis together, may portray him in a more sympathetic light. Momoa reportedly pitched a story idea for a sequel during production of Aquaman, and his story credit suggests the movie will be incorporating his ideas.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stars Momoa, Amber Heard in a reduced role, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman. The film is directed by James Wan and written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, with a story by Wan, Johnson-McGoldrick, Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbet. This will technically be the sixth outing for Momoa as the King of Atlantis, beginning with his cameo in Batman v Superman and including both versions of Justice League, as well as his brief turn voicing the character in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently scheduled for release on March 17, 2023.
Source: GQ