DC Comics’ lord of the seas is getting his own solo feature in 2018’sAquaman. Jason Momoa will reprise his superhero role from 2016’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceand 2017’sJustice Leaguefor the film, and early reviews offer reason to be optimistic about the movie’s arrival.
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Directed byInsidiousandFurious 7filmmaker James Wan,Aquamanfollows Arthur Curry (Momoa) as he is forced to reconcile his loyalties to the surface world with his role in the undersea kingdom of Atlantis, which has become increasingly hostile to the humans polluting the oceans. The film’s supporting cast includes Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, and Nicole Kidman.
WithAquamanhitting theaters August 20, 2025, here’s everything we know about the movie so far.
Early reviews
The first screenings ofAquamanin late November offered plenty of reasons for fans to give thanks, with the film earning high praise from critics in attendance. Although official reviews were embargoed until closer to the film’s release date, there was no shortage of positive reviews to be found on social media.
Fandango’s Erik Davis calledAquamana “big, sprawling visual spectacle that is gorgeous, crazy, stuffed with terrific action, and a lot of fun to watch.”
#Aquamanis the most ambitious DC movie to date — a big, sprawling visual spectacle that is gorgeous, crazy, stuffed with terrific action, and a lot of fun to watch. James Wan, in my opinion, is the true star – he elevates the material, makes it entertaining and conquers it.pic.twitter.com/gDFjiAWICA
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis)June 05, 2025
Meanwhile, Gamespot’s Mike Rougeau described it as “flawed but fun” and called Momoa and Wilson “absolute gems.”
https://twitter.com/RogueCheddar/status/1067176179793256448
Entertainment Weeklycollected some additional early reviews of the film from the pre-holiday screenings.
Final look
WB released the “final” trailer forAquaman(see above) ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, possibly in the hopes of giving eager fans plenty of time to discuss it over dinner.
There was plenty to talk about in the trailer, too, which offered quite a bit more visual-effects footage and even gave audiences their first, extended look at Willem Dafoe’s character in the film.
Prime-time screenings
More details, a video announcing the event, and ticket-purchasing information can be found at Amazon’sdedicated Aquaman movie site.
That’s a wrap
Aquamandirector James Wan announced that the film had officially finished post-production on Sunday, November 4, with a post onInstagram.
A post shared by James Wan (@creepypuppet)
The announcement followed the release of a new trailer for the film just a few days earlier, which offered some additional, effects-heavy footage from the movie.
A long look
Just a few months beforeAquamansplashes into theaters, the studio released an extended preview of the film online featuring more than 5 minutes of footage.
The preview includes what appears to be several full scenes featuring Momoa and Heard as Arthur and Mera, respectively, along with new footage of the villains — including Abdul-Mateen as Black Manta — and other supporting characters.
The first trailer
Warner Bros. Pictures debuted the first trailer forAquaman(see below) during the studio’sComic-Conpanel in July.
In the days leading up to the standing-room-only event, star Jason Momoa kept anticipation high with anInstagram videohe posted Friday, a day before the event.
A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)
The first poster
Warner Bros. Pictures debuted the first official poster forAquamanon the film’s Twitter account less than a week before the studio brought the film to Comic-Con.
Home is calling.#Aquaman– in theaters December 21. Watch the new trailer this Saturday.pic.twitter.com/ZTvO6qTxap
— Aquaman Movie (@aquamanmovie)July 31, 2025
The poster’s debut was accompanied by confirmation of the date when the first trailer forAquamanwill be released: Saturday, July 21.
Black Manta, Orm, and more
Just over six months beforeAquamanhits theaters,Entertainment Weeklyrevealed a set of photos from the set of the film featuring Momoa’s Aquaman, as well as several other characters being glimpsed for the first time.
Among the photos was the first look atAbdul-Mateen as David Hyde, the character who will become the aquatic villain Black Manta, gazing at the film’s version of Manta’s helmet.
Another photo featured Momoa’s Aquaman facing off with Wilson’s Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and the film’s primary antagonist. This was the first look at Wilson as Orm.
MoreAquamanphotos are available onEW’s website.
A different look
Warner Bros. released the first photo of Momoa inAquamanvia EWon December 7, It shows a ripped, imposing, and, of course, shirtless Arthur Curry striding with purpose against a backdrop of steam. He looks different than he did in his most recent DCEU film, especially when it comes to his tattoos.
Wan prepared fans for the fact thatAquamanbrings changes, just like the photo.
“It’s going to look very different,” the director told EW, “it will feel very different — aesthetically, tonally, story-wise — it’s my own take.”
The film will cover ground (and sea) its predecessors didn’t have time to in eitherBatman v SupermanorJustice League.With the aquatic superhero as the film’s focus, it will be able to take a deep dive into his backstory. Momoa highlighted as much when he spoke to EW, teasing that we’ll see his character not only as a hardened man with a chance to become king but also as a boy “finding his powers.”
Wan described the film as “a much more a traditional action-adventure quest movie,” and Momoa clearly approves of the direction the director took.
“I think James Wan just killed it,” Momoa said.
No dialogue bubbles
Audiences forJustice Leaguegota good lookat how Aquaman would fit into the DC Extended Universe, but one aspect of his role in the film caused some intense debate among fans that necessitated a message from theAquamandirector himself.
At one point inJustice League, Aquaman interacts with Mera after an undersea battle with the villain Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds). Before they speak to each other, Mera uses her powers to create a pocket of air around them and make conversation possible. This prompted some fans to wonder whether such an air bubble would need to be created every time anyone has a line of dialogue inAquaman— a plot device that would likely get a bit repetitive over the course of the film.
The conversation surrounding the “air-bubble dialogue” eventually led Wan to issue a statement about his film.
https://twitter.com/creepypuppet/status/933068280851345413
“Fret not, no ‘air bubbles for dialogue’ in my underwater world,” Wan wrote onTwitter.
How the filmmaker will present undersea conversation inAquamanremains a mystery, but apparently, we now have confirmation on how it won’t be handled.
That’s a wrap!
Filming onAquamanofficially ended August 11, 2025, after a five-month shoot that began in May 2017. Most of the film was shot in Australia, with significant amounts of footage shot at Village Roadshow Studios in Gold Coast, Queensland.
Wan commemorated the start of filming with a post onTwitterin May that revealed the working title of the film at the time: “Ahab.”
https://twitter.com/creepypuppet/status/859608259300278272
Man and Aquaman
Over the years, Aquaman and his powers have earned a reputation for being, well … not exactly cool. That is something that Momoa is not only aware of, but has made it clear he’s hoping to change with his portrayal of the character inJustice LeagueandAquaman.
“The cool thing withAquamanis how it taps into the native culture,” Momoa toldDigital Trendsin February 2017. “That’s something that we’re only taught a little about, so there’s a lot of interesting things. I really think it’s the right time.”
The world got its first look at Momoa as Aquaman in 2015 when director Zack Snyder released a promotional image forBatman v. Supermandepicting the actor in costume as the character.
There is only one true King.#unitethesevenpic.twitter.com/RDFG8jbuI6
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder)August 06, 2025
While his appearance in that 2016 film was brief, the world got to see more — much more, in fact — of Momoa as Aquaman during the marketing campaign leading up to the release ofJustice League. Along with giving Aquaman an expanded role,Justice Leaguealso introduced audiences to his powers and the undersea kingdom of Atlantis that would factor heavily into the plot of his solo movie.
Momoa’s portrayal of the character got the spotlight in a March 2017promotional videoforJustice Leaguereleased by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Every king needs a queen
The Atlantean queen, Mera, has become almost as prominent a character as Aquaman in the DC Comics universe in recent years, thanks to her water-controlling “hydrokinetic” powers and telepathic abilities.
Fans got their first look at Heard as Mera in a photo posted onTwitterby Snyder in October 2016.
Saw this hydrokinetic vision come out of the sea and snapped a photo with my Leica.pic.twitter.com/rwU54XzScK
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder)July 28, 2025
The photo posted by Snyder features Heard in the version of Mera’s costume seen inJustice League, complete with shoulder armor and crown.
A few months later, Wan postedanother photoof Heard as Mera from her first day on the set ofAquaman. The photo, which was posted toTwitter, featured a different costume this time around. with considerably less armor and no crown.
https://twitter.com/creepypuppet/status/865296905244295172
Villains of the sea
Reports indicate thatAquamanwill feature multiple villains challenging the film’s titular hero for control of the seas.
The first among them to be cast wasWatchmenandThe Conjuringactor Patrick Wilson, whojoined the filmin December 2016 in the role of Orm, the half-brother of Arthur Curry. Orm is better known to comics fans as the villain Ocean Master, a brilliant, powerful member of Atlantean royalty who frequently attempts to take control of Atlantis by any means necessary.
A few months later, actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II wascast in the roleof David Hyde, the villain who goes by the name of Black Manta in the DC Comics universe. A vicious treasure hunter and mercenary, Black Manta has proven to be one of Aquaman’s deadliest foes despite being a human. He wears a high-tech suit that gives him powerful abilities underwater, along with a massive helmet that contains an array of sensors and weapons that rival Aquaman’s own natural abilities.
No stranger to physical acting, Abdul-Mateen made a name for himself as thedisco-dancing Cadillacon the Netflix seriesThe Get Down.
As if that wasn’t enough for Aquaman to handle,Rocky IVandThe Expendablesactor Dolph Lundgrenwasadded to the castin April 2017. No stranger to playing comic book characters thanks to starring roles in 1989’sThe Punisher1987’sMasters of the Universe, Lundgren is expected to play King Nereus in the film.
Nereus is described in the casting report as the leader of the aquatic kingdom of Xebel, and “claims Mera as his own and wants to kill Aquaman.” Nereus has roots in Aquaman’s comic book adventures, too, having debuted in a 2013 issue of DC’sAquamanseries.
The supporting cast
Joining Momoa, Heard, and the film’s trio of actors in villain roles is a supporting cast that includes more than a few noteworthy names (and faces) from big- and small-screen projects.
Academy Award winner Kidman (The Hours,Moulin Rouge) wascast in the roleof Aquaman’s mother, Atlanna, in February 2017. In the DC Comics universe, Atlanna was Atlantean royalty who fled the undersea kingdom and fell in love with a human lighthouse keeper. Their child’s unique genetic makeup gave him powerful abilities, and he eventually became the superhero known as Aquaman.
This won’t be the first DC Comics role for Kidman, who previously played the Dark Knight’s love interest in 1995’sBatman Forever.
Playing Aquaman’s father, Thomas Curry, will beAttack of the Clonesactor Morrison, who previously played Jango Fett in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In Aquaman’s comics continuity, Thomas Curry was responsible for teaching Arthur Curry to handle his powerful abilities at a young age and keep them hidden from humanity.
Oscar-nominatedSpider-ManandPlatoonactor Willem Dafoe is also reported to have a role inAquamanas Vulko, the advisoer to the Atlantean royal family. Dafoe was initially expected to make his debut as the character inJustice League, but his scene was cut from the final version of the film, according to Momoa.
“It’s a huge movie introducing three new characters, and for myself and The Flash and Cyborg, there was a lot that was there we just couldn’t get in,” Momoa toldEntertainment Weekly. “It could have been two movies. We had some stuff with William Dafoe. The whole Atlantean part, about me being this reluctant king. There was no need for it because you’re going to see it inAquaman.”
Additional supporting cast members includePower Rangersactor Ludi Lin as the leader of the “Men-of-War,” a specialized strike force in the Atlantean army, andWaiting to Exhaleactor Michael Beach as the father of Black Manta. Beach is a familiar voice to Aquaman’s fans, having voiced Black Manta in the animated seriesJustice League Unlimited.
Updated on August 14, 2025: Added excerpts from early reviews of the film.
