Director, James Wan, currently helming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, does not like to repeat himself; so what is it that persuaded him to return for the DC sequel? Well, the filmmaker has now revealed everything, explaining that, much like with horror franchises The Conjuring and Insidious, Wan himself helped shape these characters within this world, and feels there is a lot more story to tell.

"I would say the thing that really got me excited to come back to it is finding a story that I think is worthy and if not better than the first movie. And also, for me, really, when I come back to a sequel, whether it was for Insidious 2 or The Conjuring 2, and now Aquaman 2 is I helped shape and create these characters that I eventually fall in love with, and I feel like I'm not done with them yet. So I feel like I owe them one more story from me."

Wan, who is now in London and preparing for filming to begin on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, ultimately felt that the follow-up would allow him to "continue the next chapter of Arthur Curry's story, and Orm's story, and Mera's story, and Black Manta's story." The director credited screenwriter, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, for "finding a really cool story to bring all these characters back, and then growing them in a big way, and taking them to the next level or the next chapter of their lives."

Aside from developing the characters who dwell within the deep, Wan sees Aquaman 2 as the perfect opportunity to build on the foundations he laid down in the first movie and further explore the mysterious underwater world.

"The first movie introduced the audience to such a big world that was only scratching the surface. And I feel like I can now dig deep into that and expand on that more. It's when I feel like I no longer have anything else to say, that's what I back away. But right now that's not the case with the Lost Kingdom."

Having been convinced to return for a second time, does Wan think he will helm a third Aquaman adventure? For those hoping so, it sounds like it would take something very special. "There's a reason why I don't make three movies in the same series," Wan said. "It'd be lucky to get me to make a sequel. And then after that, I just get bored. I want to do something different."

While plot details remain largely under wraps, the title of the movie is a bit of a giveaway. As well as being titled The Lost Kingdom, the DC sequel was recently given the intriguing working title, Necrus, which could offer some insight into the plot. Necrus should be familiar to DC fans as the name of another underwater city akin to Aquaman's native Atlantis. It is unique in that it only exists for very brief intervals of time and can never be found in the same location twice. Known as "The Black City," Necrus is ruled over by a tyrant king and is completely militaristic, which should prove a challenge for the underwater superhero should Necrus turn out to be part of the story.

Starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to be released on December 16th, 2022. This comes to us from IGN.