CinemaCon attendees were treated to an exclusive viewing of the official trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and while the trailer has yet to be released online, some details about what it unveiled have emerged. Set to hit theaters this winter after many delays, the film serves as a sequel to 2019's Aquaman, and as it stands, it could end up serving as the final installment of the DCEU, now that James Gunn and Peter Safran are mapping out their new plans for what's called the DCU. It will be officially hitting the big screen on Dec. 20, 2023.
According to people at CinemaCon, the trailer opens with a lok at Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) "attacking the surface world with some tentacles destroying a ship." Black Manta is also said to be seen wielding a Black Trident during the attack, followed by a sneak peek of the return of Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). The trailer is said to have "buddy-comedy vibes" by playing off of the relationship between Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and his step-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson).
"I'm supposed to be a king," Aquaman tells his father in the trailer. "To bring the land and sea together. But now, I feel the tide shifting."
Another moment sees Aquaman declaring that "no one hits my brother but me," while Orm says to him during another scene, "If you lead, Atlantis will follow."
The trailer would go on to conclude with a look at a battle between Aquaman and Black Manta, but not before the first official look at Amber Heard's return as Mera. It's said to be a brief snippet of footage, though it reveals Mera wearing a "new white suit." The appearance makes it 100% official as well that Heard is in fact a part of the movie, despite controversy associated with the actress due to her legal battle with Johnny Depp.
Amber Heard Stays in Aquaman 2
Rumors have swirled about how much screen time Heard will have in the film, and some have theorized that she will get scrapped from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom entirely because of the backlash. It's worth noting that more than 4.62 million people have signed a petition (found at Change.org) demanding her removal. Even so, one of the film's producers had previously defended the decision to keep Heard in the movie, suggesting that no amount of internet backlash would result in her removal.
"I don't think we're ever going to react to, honestly, pure fan pressure," said producer Peter Safran, who now heads DC Studios with James Gunn. "You gotta do what's best for the movie. We felt that if it's James Wan, and Jason Momoa, it should be Amber Heard. That's really what it was."
He added, "One is not unaware of what is going on in the Twitter-verse, but that doesn't mean you have to react to it or take it as gospel or accede to their wishes. You have to do what's right for the film, and that's really where we landed on it."
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released in movie theaters on Dec. 20, 2023.