Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios have pulled the Aquaman 2 release amid the ongoing reshuffle and rejuvenation of the troubled franchise.

It’s no secret that David Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery have been going through it in recent years. Not only did the DC Extended Universe never truly make a mark as the one Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe did, but other projects, such as J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise, have also left audiences scratching their heads.
Sure, there are the Zack Snyder diehards, but it’s been evident in critical reception and box office receipts that DC Studios has never really stuck the landing. Aquaman (2018), starring Jason Momoa (Justice League) as the titular marine superhero Arthur Curry/Aquaman, surprised when it collected over $1 billion globally, however.

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All eyes will now be on how the sequel measures up to its predecessor. Director James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) brings back Jason Momoa as well as Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius,
Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane/Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna. Ben Affleck will also return to the DCEU as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Amber Heard is also slated to return as Mera in the Aquaman sequel. The DCEU movie formed the basis of many talks last year during Heard’s highly-publicized defamation lawsuit against her ex-husband, Hollywood actor Johnny Depp. At one point, it was claimed Heard’s role had grown, but conflicting reports of her having reduced screen time and being removed altogether also surfaced during the six-week trial in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Aquaman 2 release and more
Now, new information pertaining to the DC film’s release has been revealed. A report from Deadline shares that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s release has been pulled forward. Slated for Christmas Day this year, Warner Bros. Discovery will now release Wan’s Aquaman sequel five days earlier on December 20, 2023. It will now go toe-to-toe with Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2023) sequel on the same day, and then Migration (2023), Universal and Illumination’s upcoming animated movie, on the Friday two days later.
This is not the first time Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has shifted release dates. The DC movie was initially planned to release at the end of 2022, but its potential position against the Avatar franchise titan, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), saw it shifted to Spring 2023. Then it moved to December 25, 2023, and now to December 20.

While anticipation is high for the Aquaman 2 release, early test screenings have been less than favorable. After a year of growing tensions around superhero movies and superhero fatigue, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may be yet another casualty for DC.
The release date shift comes as Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios reinvent their troubled franchise. Last year, Zaslav famously trashed Batgirl and, with it, Michael Keaton’s Batman return. Then it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would take over DC Studios as co-CEOs in the hope they would relaunch the franchise in the future. In November, Black Adam (2022) would dramatically bomb at the box office, despite being led by blockbuster heavyweight Dwayne Johnson.

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In January, Gunn did reveal his and Safran’s initial slate. Titled “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters”, and now under the umbrella of simply the DC Universe, the pair’s vision includes a massive interconnected universe spanning film, television shows, video games, and animation. Projects include a Supergirl movie, an Amanda Waller live-action TV show, and a new Batman project based on the comic book story, “The Brave and the Bold”. Gunn will write and direct the first movie, Superman: Legacy (2025).
As for other projects in the works, things like Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) and The Batman 2 (2025) will now be classified as DC Elseworlds and will not have any joint continuity with the upcoming DCU.

But right now, fans are still in the DCEU with The Flash (2023), Blue Beetle (2023), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom all coming this year. Despite Ezra Miller’s illegal activities, The Flash is being hailed as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time and will “reset everything” for the DC cinematic franchise.
Will you be heading to the theaters to see Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom this December? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!