Every day on set is an amazing adventure with this guy. #JusticeLeague #Aquaman @PrideofGypsies pic.twitter.com/sSiyDx36Tc
— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) August 12, 2016
On paper, Aquaman isn’t exactly an intimidating do-gooder who invokes fear into the hearts of land-dwelling mammals everywhere. His jovial character would a need a serious overhaul if he was going to stand side-by-side with DC’s dark, gritty heroes on the big screen. Enter the very tall, muscular, and daunting Jason Momoa, who previously displayed his superiority as Khal Drago in Game of Thrones.
He’ll get to flex his fins as Aquaman in the upcoming Justice League movie before setting off on his own adventure with James Wan at the helm in 2018. In an interview with SlashFilm, Wan discusses the unexpected but perfect casting choice and how it relates to the new direction they’re headed with the character:
“I actually think it’s a brilliant move on Zack and co. to cast someone like Jason. Immediately, the whole joke aspect of Aquaman goes out the window. You have such a muscular, superhero-y character and one that is almost, to me, in some ways … I look at him, he’s kind of the Wolverine in some respect. He’s the outsider who gets pulled into this world and he kind of doesn’t want to belong and he was doing his own thing. And he prided freedom above everything else. That kind of plays nicely into who his character is. He’s like a reluctant superhero, right? He’s the reluctant king, basically, or would-be king.”
A would-be king who can also play the guitar, if that set photo is any indication. Wan won’t be the first to direct Momoa as the character but plans to use Zack Snyder’s film as a learning tool. “Listen, I’ll be honest, in some ways, JL will be an experiment for me to see what works and what may not work as well,” he added.
Not every director gets to watch a trial run of a character before taking the reins in a solo film, but this makes for a great opportunity to do better than what DC has already put out. With both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad falling below expectations, it’s going to be that much harder for people to remain hopeful about the films to follow.
(via SlashFilm, images via Twitter)
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