The Aquaman 2 director defends the creative decision to shrink Amber Heard’s role

Director James Wan has defended the decision to reduce Amber Heard’s role Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The controversy surrounding Heard’s legal battles with Johnny Depp had thrust the actress into the spotlight, with some fans calling for her removal from the film. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Wan made it clear that this cut was not a reactionary move. Instead, it was part of his original creative vision for the film. He pointed out that Heard did mention that Warner Bros. cut some of her scenes Aquaman 2However, this wasn’t because the studio was hesitant to include her character.

Rather, it was because the sequel was always planned as a buddy comedy centered around Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry and Patrick Wilson’s Orm. Wan’s approach was to make the first film more of a romantic action-adventure comedy and reserve the sequel as an outright buddy comedy reminiscent of… Tango & Cash.

“This is fair [Heard] said, that [about the character being pared down], because she wasn’t in my head when I was making this film. Actors don’t necessarily know what we do [directors] This is being thought about behind the scenes. But that was always my plan. From the beginning, I was convinced that the first film would be a sort of Romancing The Stone film – a romantic action-adventure comedy – while the second film would be a pure buddy comedy. I wanted ‘Tango & Cash!’ make.”

RELATED: ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s’ Jason Momoa Teams Up With Patrick Wilson for a Deep Sea ‘Tango & Cash’ Bromance in a Brand New Image

James Wan announces a retro sci-fi and horror experience in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The sequel to the successful DC adventure “Aquaman” with Jason Momoa as the King of Atlanta.

Release date

December 25, 2023

director

James Wan

Pour

Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison

Evaluation

PG-13

Genres

Superhero, action, adventure, fantasy

The upcoming Aquaman The sequel promises a new adventure for Arthur Curry, who faces a new threat to his underwater kingdom. This unexpected challenge forces him to form an alliance with a former enemy. Although the film is part of the larger DCEU, it is designed to stand on its own, much like the comic book stories that inspired it. The pressure for the sequel to do exceptionally well comes from previous DCEU films underperforming, leading to significant changes in the post-production phase.

However, in a recent interview with Empire Magazine, James Wan expressed his disagreement with the negative narrative surrounding the film’s production. He emphasized that his personal experiences during filming did not match the stories spread in the media.

“I definitely had to learn to be more zen in dealing with all the noise around me. I’m a pretty reserved person. I don’t go on social media and fight, but it’s difficult because of this narrative.” Turns out that’s not the reality. The noise is fun to write about and gets clicks, but people don’t know the truth.”

Wan had also previously teased that the film will offer an “old-school sci-fi and horror” experience, which will set it apart from its predecessor.

“There was an element of horror in the first film. But this second film definitely has more of the same. This became the basis for the design. “The Lost Kingdom” has a very retro 60s horror look to it. We have this huge action set piece where Arthur and Orm fight [Black Manta’s] Henchmen who use the “Octobot” – that mechanical squid thing. It was really fun to shoot that.”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom The cinema release is scheduled for December 20, 2023.