Credit: Warner BrosThe world has been waiting to see what Aquaman 2 (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) would look like. That finally happened, as Warner Bros. and DC dropped the official trailer yesterday. While some rumors about the film might have been proven true, like Amber Heard’s role being minimalized, a legendary actor was missing from the trailer, which director James Wan has now confirmed is true.
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Aquaman 2 has a tall task ahead of it: ending the DCEU with positive results. The final movies in this era before the Jason Momoa-led venture have all tanked at the box office. The Flash has become one of the biggest flops in superhero history. Shazam 2 failed to make any impact, but Blue Beetle could still find itself to be successful.
Blue Beetle is also technically part of the new DCU, though the jury is still out. James Gunn stated that the character is the first DCU character, but the first DCU movie is Superman: Legacy. Either way, Aquaman 2 is the final DCEU movie before everything shifts completely to Gunn’s control.
Jason Momoa is a huge star; the first film pulled in a staggering $1.1 billion. However, the sequel will be without a substantial legendary actor who played a central part in the first film.
James Wan Confirms Legendary Actor Was Cut From ‘Aquaman 2’
James Wan has been answering many questions about the upcoming DC sequel, including finally addressing the rumor that Amber Heard saw her role shrunk. One of the biggest questions posed to the Aquaman 2 director is why there seems to be a lot of Nicole Kidman in the trailer, but Willem Dafoe is missing. Wan revealed why to Entertainment Weekly. According to Wan:
“Willem is not in this one, no. Part of the reason was because his schedule did not work out for us. But what that allowed me to do was expand on Atlanna’s role. Atlanna in this one ultimately becomes Arthur’s advisor. Because Arthur’s not from this world, she helps him better understand the world and the politics of how things work.”
Will Dafoe played a crucial part in the first film as Nuidis Volko, as he served as Arthur’s mentor and father figure. He taught him how to fight and use his powers, and it’s a huge disappointment that his schedule prevented him from appearing in the sequel.
With Arthur now squarely being King of Atlantis and having a family, it would have been amazing to see Dafoe’s Nuidis following him on this journey of self-discovery and heroism. Also, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) returns to take everything from Arthur, so we likely would have seen the epic mentor dying for his student’s death.
Though it’s a familiar and overused trope, it would have fit perfectly in the film. Aquaman cannot truly become Aquaman without realizing he must survive alone.
Willem Dafoe is also a spectacular actor, and not having his prowess might make the film far less accepted. That’s not to say he carried the first film, but it offered the DC some notoriety. At least Nicole Kidman is in the film, and apart from her horrible AMC ad, she is also a fantastic actor.
Related: ‘Aquaman 2’ Trailer Roasted for “Awful” CGI: “Going to Be a Dumpster Fire of a Movie”
Aquaman 2 is set for a December 20, 2023 release date. The hope is that James Gunn won’t have to answer questions about another DC movie failing, even though he was not in charge when the sequel was shot. The bigger hope is that the DCEU can end on a positive note instead of another box office bomb placing strain on the DC franchise altogether.
What do you think of Willem Dafoe being cut from Aquaman 2? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!