It’s safe to say that the 2018 film Aquaman is the most successful DC Comics film to date. Directed by James Wan, it had gone on to earn more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. This achievement is quite special to DC Comics after the relative box office disappointment of both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.
Recently, there has also been a lot of anticipation surrounding the upcoming Aquaman sequel slated for release in 2022. As we wait for more updates, we thought we’d reveal interesting tidbits behind the making of the first film.
10 The Film Could Have Been Presented As A Prequel, Like Wonder Woman
Among DC Comics films, the 2017 hit Wonder Woman had been an origin story and Aquaman could have easily gone in the same direction. “Early on we sort of [asked] whether this was a prequel, like Wonder Woman, where they backed it up and did her origin story,” Wan told Gizmodo.
However, the director realized they “could get around that” because of the nature of the character. He explained, “I felt that I could actually take him on his character arc for him to realize the hero that he needs to be by the end of the movie.”
9 James Wan Made It Clear That The Film Should Introduce Atlantis, Not Justice League
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman was already introduced to fans in Justice League before his standalone film came out. Nonetheless, it was important for Wan that Justice League not give too much away about this underwater superhero.
Producer Peter Safran told Joblo, “Going into Justice League, before they shot it, there were a lot of conversations about the things that were important to James [Wan] to be the one to reveal; storylines that were important to him, elements that were important to him. We wanted to make sure that Atlantis was never seen before we show it.”
8 Amber Heard Almost Said No To Doing The Movie
It seems that the last thing Heard wanted to do was portray a character that sounded too stereotyped initially. After all, Hera was Aquaman’s love interest. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, she explained, “It seemed really archetypal and kind of limited. I didn’t really like the idea of the idea.”
Eventually, however, Heard realized that the character also had a lot of fight in her. In another interview with the publication, she explained, “That resonated with me as somebody who’s always been allergic to being the damsel, the two-dimensional archetype of what women are often limited to in this industry.”
7 The Film Intended To Blend Aquaman’s Character With Jasons Momoa’s Personality
Ultimately, there’s a lot of Momoa’s character in Aquaman and vice versa. This pretty much informed how the underwater superhero was portrayed in the DC Comics films. “I wanted this character to be him, basically,” Wan explained while speaking with Slash Film.
“And that way I could infuse the movie with more personality overall and not have it be one dimension.” Wan also told Flickering Myth that Aquaman is “married to Jason Momoa.” Being a Hawaiian who grew up in Iowa, Momoa struggled to fit in early on in life and that’s something he has in common with Aquaman.
6 Nicole Kidman’s Face Has Always Been The Basis For Atlanna
Kidman is an A-list actress that is known for her critically acclaimed performances in films such as Cold Mountain, Moulin Rouge, and The Hours. And so, one may not think that Kidman would be suited to do a comic book movie.
However, as it turns out, Safran had been thinking about her for the role of Atlanna the whole time. He told Joblo, “Before we ever had conversations with her, James [Wan] always said, “I just picture Nicole as this.’ And then, he’d say, ‘By the way, I hear she wants to work with me.’”
5 Patrick Wilson Suggested Making His Character Blond
Wilson played Orm Marius, Aquaman’s half-brother, and nemesis. For Wilson, it was important to make sure that the character’s look is pronouncedly different from the film’s lead character. And so, he decided that the Ocean Master had to go blond. It also was “almost a throwback to the older Aquaman.”
He also told Slash Film, “Truthfully, me with blonde hair is closer to prototypical Aquaman. So I thought, ‘Let’s use that to our advantage.’” If you must know, this isn’t the first time that Wilson got involved in a superhero movie. He also played Nite Owl II in Watchmen.
4 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Had His Body Scanned For Black Manta’s Suit
In one of the scenes in the movie, Abdul-Mateen’s supervillain Black Manta reveals himself in a highly sophisticated combat suit. While speaking with Collider, the actor spoke a bit about the process of developing his incredible costume.
He said “I was very fortunate to just be able to come in and get my body scanned and show up X amount of weeks or months later and say, “Oh, here’s this suit that looks ready and perfectly designed for me.” Abdul-Mateen also believes that Wan had gone over several iterations of the costume before it was finalized.
3 Nicole Kidman’s Fight Sequence Was A One-Shot Scene
At the beginning of the film, Kidman’s Atlanna gets into an intense fight after Atlantean soldiers attack her in her home. The scene was well-choreographed and it turns out that the sequence was also filmed in one shot. “That one scene with Nicole Kidman in the house at the beginning of the movie, that was one shot,” stunt coordinator John Valera told Men’s Health.
“James Wan wanted to make that a true one-shot scene, there were no stitches or blends that put any cuts together.” Valera also revealed that Kidman had a tight schedule during filming. Nonetheless, she was a “true professional.”
2 Actors Were Attached To Tuning Forks To Simulate Underwater Movement
Filming Aquaman was unique because it utilized a tuning fork to help simulate water movement among the actors. Valera told Men’s Health, “It’s two pipes that have been welded together, it's like U-shaped, and the actors and stunt doubles would be in harnesses hooked up to the sides of the fork from their hips, so they can swivel.”
Meanwhile, Wan told Gizmodo that visual effects were applied to the characters' hair and costumes so they would look like they’re moving as they would underwater. In the end, the scenes looked amazing.
1 Jason Momoa And The Crew Had To Undergo Trident Training
For period films, actors often find themselves undergoing sword and archery training. On the other hand, modern-day action flicks would require actors to complete weapons and martial arts training. To portray Aquaman properly though, Momoa specifically had to undergo trident training.
“The trident is not a normal weapon that everybody walks around with.,” Valera told Men’s Health. “Even for [star] Jason [Momoa]. He had to train with the staff and the trident for months.” Aside from Momoa, Valera revealed that he had to train on the trident himself, along with the film’s stuntmen.