While Jason Momoa was hardly an unknown actor prior to joining the DC Extended Universe thanks to his roles in Baywatch: Hawaii, Stargate Atlantis, Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian, it’s safe to say being cast as Aquaman made him a household name worldwide. The actor has starred in four DC movies as the underwater-breathing superhero so far (counting both versions of Justice League), and Film #5, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, arrives at the end of the year. Ahead of that upcoming DC movie though, Momoa has clarified his feelings on Arthur Curry and his frustration with the sequel not using most of his ideas.
As part of a profile put together by Men’s Health, the actor recalled how surprised he was by how 2018’s Aquaman was not only received by audiences, but also for crossing $1 billion worldwide (it remains the highest-grossing DC movie of all time). Momoa then discussed why Aquaman has frustrated him so much, though not because of the character himself, but how he’s been handled. As he explained:
It’s not that I don’t care about Aquaman; it’s a wonderful character. Aquaman is probably the hardest character in comic-book history. He’s made fun of and ridiculed, but I tried to give it heart and soul, and I’m proud of it in certain ways. Do I feel pressure for [the sequel] to do well? No. All I can do is give it my all. But it’s in a lot of other people’s hands.
Jason Momoa elaborated on these thoughts first by bringing up “different directors having different ideas of who Aquaman is.” So far, three filmmakers have left their mark on the character in the DCEU: Zack Snyder for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and his four-hour cut of Justice League, Joss Whedon for the theatrical cut of Justice League, and James Wan for both Aquaman movies. Momoa then brought up how he’d written a 50-page Aquaman 2 treatment with his partner Brian Mendoza which Warner Bros. Pictures purchased, “but did not follow completely.” This led him to contrasting that experience to his work on Chief of War, the upcoming limited series he’s starring in and producing that’s headed to Apple TV+ subscribers at a yet-to-be-announced date:
That’s the reason why I love directing and creating. At the end of Chief of War, I’m like, ‘Yeah, feel free to knock, ridicule it. If it isn’t good, then we suck. It’s our fault.’ Yeah. I don’t wanna just go like, ‘I’m acting. I’ll be in my trailer.’ I love being able to burn for what I believe in. I’ve seen some of the most shocking acting performances firsthand and watched them edited, and they were amazing. I wish I could tell you who it was. I’m like, ‘What the fuck?’ I watched this guy who had to be fucking propped up. They read the lines to him. But this motherfucker killed it when the edit came in and was applauded for it. At that point, I was like, ‘Wow, this shit is made in the edit.’
Just like The Flash and Blue Beetle, as well as the recently-released Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is part of the last gasp of the DCEU continuity, with DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran putting together a new DC Universe that, while retaining some elements of the previous continuity, will be packed with a lot of new material, including Superman: Legacy, the reboot Gunn is directing and writing. While there had been rumors floating that Momoa might transition to playing Lobo, the actor said in January that he’ll “always be Aquaman,” and it’s also been said that no actor in the DCU would play multiple characters. So although things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing with between him and Aquaman of late, for now anyway, this is a character Momoa will be hanging onto.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will make its big splash in theaters on December 20, but you can use your HBO subscription to stream Jason Momoa’s previous outings as Arthur Curry, king of the Seven Seas. Also remember that the actor will be back on the big screen sooner than that when Fast X arrives on May 19.
