Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Jason Momoa is confident that the titular superhero will remain a big part of James Gunn's DC Universe.

"[DC Studios co-CEO] Peter [Safran]'s my producer [on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom], and is a dear friend," Momoa revealed in an interview with Total Film magazine. "I absolutely think Aquaman will be involved in the DCU. It’s on, bro – there’s no one bigger than Aquaman!" The actor, who first played the Protector of the Deep in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, also hyped the upcoming sequel, revealing that there will be plenty of humor throughout the movie. "I hope people are excited to see the new one. It’s fun. I really enjoy doing comedy," he said. "There’s some really funny stuff with Patrick Wilson. I really adore him. We had a great time working together. It’s like we’re brothers. There’s a lot of cool stuff happening in this one."

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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will pick up years after the events depicted in 2018's Aquaman and follow the titular superhero as he reluctantly teams up with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to face a stronger Black Manta and his army. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will reprise the role from 2018's Aquaman, sporting a new and upgraded Black Manta costume inspired by both DC Comics' Silver Age and the New 52 eras.

Aquaman 2 Is Testing Poorly With Audiences

With the first Aquaman movie grossing over $1 billion worldwide, a lot is riding on the upcoming sequel to perform just as well at the box office. Unfortunately, early test screenings for Lost Kingdom have reportedly been less than stellar for Warner Bros. and DC Studios. In February 2023, several reports emerged stating that half a dozen test screenings had been held for The Lost Kingdom, each receiving negative feedback from the audience.

This is unlike the response The Flash, another upcoming WB/DC movie, has received from test audiences. Despite The Flash being mired in controversy thanks to lead star Ezra Miller's personal life, test screenings for the upcoming time-travel superhero movie have been surprisingly positive. The Scarlet Speedster's first film has also earned praise from the likes of Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise, who was able to secure a private screening of the film after meeting with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

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Is Jason Momoa Leaving Aquaman for Lobo?

Following Gunn and Safran's appointment as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, Momoa shared that he was working on a dream project for the studio. Fans quickly began to speculate that Momoa was hinting at a DCU project involving Lobo, the actor's favorite comic book character. Despite downplaying the Lobo rumors, Momoa confirmed in January 2023 that he might not only appear in the DCU as Aquaman. "There might be some other characters, too. I can play other things, too," he revealed. After reports of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's poor test screenings emerged, film columnist Jeff Sneider stated that the negative response is part of the reason Momoa is being tipped to portray Lobo in a future live-action project. However, until Momoa's Lobo casting is officially announced by DC Studios, fans should take these reports with a grain of salt.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom stars Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman, Randall Park, Vincent Regan, Jani Zhao, Indya Moore and Pilou Asbæk. The DC film will swim into theaters on Dec. 25.

Source: Total Film