The Aquaman sequel has taken one vital step towards becoming a reality. While director James Wan remains in talks to return to helm Aquaman 2, writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick has been brought on board to pen the script.

The move comes less than a week after it was revealed Warner Bros. and DC were developing a spin-off film, titled The Trench, which is expected to enter production before Aquaman 2. That project will see Wan take on a producer rule, along with Johnson-McGoldrick, while Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald are set to pen that project.

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This marks a return to the franchise for Johnson-McGoldrick, as the writer teamed with Will Beall on the script for Aquaman. However, it appears this time he'll be going about penning the script himself.

As it stands, James Wan does not appear to have sealed his deal to return as director just yet, but this isn't entirely unexpected. When it was previously revealed that Warner Bros. and Wan were in talks regarding Aquaman 2, it was said that the project would remain in "a holding pattern" until a script was complete. Still, it's thought that Wan will secure a new deal -- and a hefty pay raise -- to return to helm the sequel.

To date, Aquaman has amassed a stunning $1.12 billion at the worldwide box office, with $792 million of that coming from international markets alone. The film has gone on to become DC's highest grossing film, overtaking Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

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Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Orm, 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 is now in theaters nationwide.

(via Variety)