Though 2018's Aquaman released to generally positive reviewed and took the box office by storm, there was some measure of criticism aimed at the film's simplistic plot, among other things. That is something director James Wan promises to change for the upcoming sequel.
Speaking at a press junket attended by CBR, Wan discussed his new horror film, Malignant, and how he has developed as a filmmake and how he has approached an increasingly film-fluent audience. "They look at trailers, and they can kind of look at posters, and they can kind of put things together, right?" He said, "So the key is how do I stay ahead of audiences today that are so savvy, but at the same time still come up with things that people haven't quite seen before."
He went on to explain how he has approached the matter of staying on top of audience expectation, stating, "That's when I start to pull this away, and I start to take you on this electrifying journey, and it's that aspect that makes it fun for me. And it's not just my horror films. I tried to do that even in Fast and Furious 7, and to some degree in Aquaman, but definitely more so in Aquaman 2. There are more complexities in Aquaman 2 than in the first movie." Though he didn't go into detail about what that will look like in the DCEU film, he did say, "This is just stuff that I learned along the way, and it's what I find intriguing as a filmmaker, and I try to take everything that I've learned from each film, and carry them with me to my next movie."
Aquaman 2 was announced in 2018, shortly after the gargantuan release of Aquaman, which earned $1.148 billion on a budget of approximately $200 million. It's unexpected earning made it the highest-grossing DC Extended Universe film and the second highest-grossing Warner Bros. film, surpassed only by 2011's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which earned $1.342 billion.
In addition to a sequel, Warner Bros. that a spinoff was in development. Titled, The Trench, the project was described as a horror-focused film centered on the creatures that briefly appeared during the final act of Aquaman.
Unfortunately, in April 2021, the studio announced that it had canceled the project, along with Ava DuVernay's New Gods movie. However, the studio's statement also read, "The projects will remain in their skillful hands if they were to move forward in the future," teasing a remaining potential for release.
Source: CBR