Jason Momoa's Aquaman will have his hands full in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
The half-Atlantean/half-human will reportedly be juggling his royal duties with his responsibilities as a father in the upcoming sequel to the 2018 DC film. As reported by The Direct, Arthur Curry and Mera's (Amber Heard) son will be introduced in Lost Kingdom with the young child set to play an integral role in the sequel's plot. In the comics, Aquaman and Mera's son was named Arthur Curry Jr./Aquababy. Created by Nick Cardy, Aquababy first appeared in Aquaman #23 in October 1965.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will pick up years after the events of 2018's Aquaman. A new synopsis for the upcoming DC Extended Universe film stated that the sequel will find Aquaman reluctantly teaming up with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to face a stronger Black Manta and his army. The introduction of Aquababy, as well as Black Manta's larger role in the Aquaman sequel, has led some fans to believe the film may be a loose adaptation of Aquaman: Death of a Prince, a 1970s comic book storyline that ended with Black Manta suffocating Aquababy to death.
Lost Kingdom officially wrapped production in January 2022. The film's director James Wan shared a sneak peek at his cut of the film in March 2022 and mentioned how grateful he was that he had more time to work on the Aquaman sequel. "For a movie that is nearly all visual effects, I'm thankful for the extra time needed to craft this thing right," Wan wrote at the time. "Working with groundbreaking new technology, I'm blown away by some of the early tests coming in. I'm cautiously optimistic and excited, and can't wait to share when the time is ready."
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will mark the seventh time Momoa has portrayed Aquaman. The actor made his first appearance as the character in a cameo in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He played a larger role in 2017's Justice League (and the film's 2021 Snyder Cut) and headlined the character's titular solo outing in 2018. Momoa additionally reprised the role in the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker and voiced the Lego version of Aquaman in 2019's The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
Besides Momoa, the Aquaman sequel will bring back most of the first film's supporting cast, including Heard, Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman and Randall Park as Mera, Orm, Nuidis Vulko, King Nereus, Black Manta, Thomas Curry, Atlanna and Dr. Stephen Shin, respectively. The sequel will introduce several newcomers in the form of Vincent Regan as Atlan, Jani Zhao as Stingray, Indya Moore as Karshon and Pilou Asbæk as an undisclosed character.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens in theaters on March 17, 2023.
Source: The Direct
