Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Arthur Curry / Aquaman. Produced by DC Films, Warner Bros. Pictures, and The Safran Company, it is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was directed by James Wan and written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall. Jason Momoa stars as Aquaman, who sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and stop his evil half-brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson) from uniting the seven underwater kingdoms to destroy the surface world. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman also star in supporting roles.
Development began in 2004 but did not gain traction until Man of Steel was released in 2013. In August 2014, Beall and Kurt Johnstad were hired to write competing scripts. Wan signed on as director in April 2015, and in July 2016, the film moved forward with Beall's screenplay. The main cast was confirmed through 2016 and early 2017. Principal photography began in Australia in May 2017, taking place at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, with additional production teams in Canada, Italy, and Morocco. Filming concluded the following October. Several vendors provided visual effects and animation, ranging from high-detail hair simulations to the creation of CGI animals and locations.
Aquaman premiered in London on November 26, 2018, and was released in the United States on December 21. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film, the highest-grossing film based on a DC Comics character, the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2018, and (at the time of its release) the 20th highest-grossing film of all time. A sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, was released on December 22, 2023, while a non-canonical animated miniseries, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, is set after the events of this film and was released in October 2021.
Plot
In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Atlanna, queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, during a storm. They fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who has the power to communicate with sea creatures. When Atlantean soldiers sent by King Orvax (the ruler of Atlantis) arrive for Atlanna, who fled her arranged marriage, she is forced to leave her family to protect them from her people. She promises to return when it's safe and goes back to Atlantis, entrusting her advisor, Nuidis Vulko, to train Arthur. Becoming a skilled warrior, Arthur rejects Atlantis upon learning that Orvax executed Atlanna for loving a human and birthing an illegitimate son.
In the present, Arthur has become known as the metahuman dubbed as "Aquaman" by the public. One year after Steppenwolf's defeat, Arthur confronts a gang of pirates hijacking the Russian Akula-class submarine K-461 "Volk" (named "Stalnoivolk" in the film). Their leader, Jesse Kane, is killed while trapped by a torpedo, leading his son David to vow revenge against Arthur after he refused to help save Jesse in retaliation for murdering innocent people.
Meanwhile, King Orm Marius, Orvax's son and Arthur's younger half-brother who is now the new ruler of Atlantis after his father passed away, persuades King Nereus of Xebel to join forces in uniting Atlantis and destroying the surface world for polluting the oceans. If Orm successfully unites all four kingdoms, he will become Ocean Master, commander of Earth's most powerful underwater force. They are ambushed by the Stalnoivolk submarine, now repaired and operated by David Kane, prompting Orm to feel compelled to unleash a tsunami. However, Orm is revealed to have orchestrated the attack after hiring David and Jesse to hijack the submarine and gain Nereus's support, with plans to kill Arthur. To that end, Orm provides David with an Atlantean battle suit for the mission.
Nereus' daughter Mera, betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and requests Arthur's help. Arthur accompanies her to Atlantis after Orm's tsunami nearly kills his father. Vulko urges him to find the Trident of Atlan, a powerful artifact of Atlantis' first ruler, to reclaim his rightful place as king. Mera and Arthur are ambushed by Orm's men, and he is captured. Orm blames him for Atlanna's death and nearly kills him in a duel before Mera rescues him. She and Arthur journey to the fallen Kingdom of the Deserters, hidden under the Sahara, where the Trident was forged, and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, where they retrieve the trident's coordinates. Meanwhile, Orm imprisons Vulko and coerces the Kingdom of the Fishermen to pledge their allegiance to him by killing their king.
Rechristening himself as "Black Manta", David battles Arthur, but is defeated. Traveling out to sea on a stolen boat, Arthur and Mera fend off amphibious monsters of the Trench, and a wormhole transports them to an uncharted sea at the center of the Earth. They are reunited with Atlanna, who survived and escaped into the uncharted sea but could not find her way back. Arthur faces the Karathen, a mythical sea monster and guardian of the Trident; after proving his worth, it allows him to claim the Trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Orm leads his army against the Kingdom of the Brine to declare himself Ocean Master, while in turn, Arthur leads an army of marine creatures, including Karathen and the Trench, against him. Orm's followers embrace Arthur as the true king upon learning that he wields Atlan's trident. Arthur spares Orm's life after beating him in a duel, and Orm accepts his imprisonment after discovering that Arthur rescued their mother. Atlanna reunites with Thomas, while Arthur ascends to the throne.
In a mid-credits scene, Manta is saved by Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine scientist and conspiracy theorist obsessed with Atlantis, and agrees to lead Shin there in exchange for help in his revenge on Arthur.
Cast
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman:A half-Atlantean, half-human who is reluctant to be king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. He is a member of the Justice League. He possesses superhuman strength and durability, has hydrokinetic powers, can communicate with sea creatures, and can swim at supersonic speeds. A younger Arthur Curry is portrayed by various actors, including Kobi Booker as the infant, Tainu and Tamor Kirkwood at age 3, Kaan Guldur at age 9, Otis Dhanji at age 13 and Kekoa Kekumano at age 16. Amber Heard as Mera:The princess of Xebel, Arthur's love interest, a warrior and daughter of King Nereus. She was raised by Queen Atlanna and groomed to become queen. Mera possesses hydrokinetic and telepathic powers that allow her to control her aquatic environment and communicate with other Atlanteans. Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko:Atlantis' vizier, who mentored the young Arthur and trains him to fight. Dafoe was digitally de-aged for the flashback scenes. Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius / Ocean Master:Arthur's younger Atlantean half-brother and king of Atlantis, who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and become the Ocean Master to declare war on the surface world for humanity's desecration of the seas. Wilson previously voiced the President of the United States of America in the DC Extended Universe film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Dolph Lundgren as Nereus:Mera's father and the king of the Atlantean tribe of Xebel, whom Orm tricks into an alliance through false pretenses. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta:A ruthless pirate and a high-seas mercenary with a flair for creating deadly technological innovations. He is not referred to by his civilian name in the film and is credited simply as "Manta". Ludi Lin as Captain Murk: The commander of the Men-of-War, the frontline army of Atlantis. Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry: Arthur's father and a lighthouse keeper. Nicole Kidman as Atlanna: The Queen of Atlantis, mother of Arthur and Orm. Kidman previously played the role of Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever. Ilya Melnikoff as Russian submarine captain Kyryl Koltsov as Russian submarine crew member Randall Park portrays Doctor Stephen Shin, a marine biologist obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis. Graham McTavish appears as King Atlan, the first king of Atlantis and the ancestor of Atlanna, Arthur, and Orm. Michael Beach plays Jesse, Manta's father and the leader of their group of ocean pirates.
Leigh Whannell, director Wan's longtime film collaborator, appears in the film as a cargo pilot. Julie Andrews provides the voice of Karathen, a mythical sea monster and keeper of the Trident of Atlan who allies with Aquaman. John Rhys-Davies voices the Brine King and Djimon Hounsou voices King Ricou of the Fishermen, while both of these characters are portrayed on screen through motion capture performed by Andrew Crawford. Natalia Safran and Sophia Forrest provide the voice and motion capture of Fishermen Queen Rina and Fishermen Princess Scales, respectively.
Production Development In 2004, FilmJerk.com reported that Sunrise Entertainment's Alan and Peter Riche planned to bring Aquaman to the big screen for Warner Bros., with Robert Ben Garant writing the screenplay. However, the attempt fell through. In 2007, Warner Bros. announced the development of a Justice League film with Michele and Kieran Mulroney writing the screenplay. The film, reportedly titled Justice League: Mortal, would have been Aquaman's cinematic debut. George Miller signed on to direct later that year. However, the film would be canceled following production delays stemming from the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. Prior to the film's cancellation in 2008, actor Santiago Cabrera had been cast as Aquaman. In July 2009, it was reported that Aquaman was in development at Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions. Warner chairman and CEO Barry Meyer said that an Aquaman film was in development. After Man of Steel release in 2013, a source from Warner Bros. told The Wrap that they were discussing future films, with the mention of more Man of Steel movies as well as a Superman/Batman film, a Wonder Woman film and an Aquaman film. Geoff Johns told Variety that Aquaman was a priority character. On August 12, 2014, Warner Bros. announced that it had hired screenwriters Will Beall and Kurt Johnstad to pen separate scripts. The film was developed on dual tracks, although only the better version would move forward. Peter Jackson was twice approached to direct the film but he declined both times.
In April 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that James Wan was the front-runner to direct. In June, Wan was confirmed to direct and overlook the screenplay by Johnstad. Wan was given the choice to direct The Flash or Aquaman, he chose the latter as he felt that Flash had already been done. In November, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick was hired to write the script; however, it was unclear whether his would be separate or work with Wan. Previous script plans had been scrapped and Wan and Johns planned to move forward with a new script written by Beall. Later, Johnson-McGoldrick was brought back to the project to rewrite Beall's script.
In March 2016, it was announced that the events of Aquaman would be set after Justice League (2017). Wan confirmed that cinematographer Don Burgess, who had previously collaborated with Wan on The Conjuring 2 (2016), would serve as cinematographer. Pre-production began in Australia in late November 2016.
Casting