The DC Extended Universe is alive. There is some question as to how well off it is, given the mixed reception to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, but it is most definitely chugging along. And Warner Bros. is continuing to press forward with these DC Comics adaptations. Next year, Aquaman will finally be getting his own live-action movie and The Conjuring's James Wan is directing. Thanks to him, we now have our first look at the core cast of Aquaman assembled together.
The Aquaman team, which includes Jason Momoa as the title character, Patrick Wilson as Orm aka Ocean Master and Amber Heard as Mera, all got together recently to do a table read. Director James Wan took to his Twitter account to post a photo from the read, showing the three cast members and himself looking pretty into it. Well, Amber Heard looks a bit less into it, but Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson seem to be loving it. Here is what James Wan had to say about the photo.
"After school detention with the new Breakfast Club. With @PrideofGypsies @patrickwilson73 and Amber. #tableread"
Aquaman has only had mere seconds of screen time in the DCEU so far, which was in the email reveal scene from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. We are going to get a much better look at Arthur Curry later this year in Justice League, which should be a good springboard for his first solo movie next year. Amber Heard is also set to appear as Mera in Justice League, as well as Willem Dafoe, who is set to play Nuidis Vulko in Aquaman. Patrick Wilson seems like he is going to have to wait to make is DCEU debut in Aquaman, but it is possible he could have a surprise cameo in Justice League as well.
Details on the Aquaman movie have largely been kept under wraps, but we do know a few things about what we can expect. The movie has been called a "swashbuckling adventure" and has been compared to Indiana Jones, but underwater with lots of sea monsters. We also know that, in addition to Orm, who is probably going to be a villain, Black Manta is also going to be in the movie as the main villain, though, an actor has not yet been cast. With James Wan behind something like that, it could wind up being something very unique not only in the DCEU, but in the superhero movie landscape in general.
Pre-production is currently happening on Aquaman and the movie is expected to start filming shortly. With the October 2018, release date locked in, shooting should definitely be happening soon and we should be getting more details and more behind the scenes photos. Justice League is set for release on November 17, and Aquaman is set to hit theaters on October 15, 2018. You can check out the first Aquaman cast photo for yourself below.