Aquaman

Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). James Wan directed the film from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Bell. It stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, who sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and prevent his half-brother King Orm from uniting the seven underwater kingdoms to destroy the surface world. Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman appear in supporting roles.

Development began in 2004 but didn’t gain traction until the release of Man of Steel in 2013. In August 2014, Beal and Kurt Johnstad were hired to write the competing script. Wan signed on as director in April 2015, and in July 2016, the film went ahead with Bale’s screenplay. The original cast was confirmed in 2016 and early 2017. Principal photography began in Australia in May 2017 at Gram Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, with additional production teams from Canada, Italy and Morocco. Filming ended the following October. Several vendors provided visual effects, ranging from high-detail hair simulation to creating CGI creatures and locations.

Released

Aquaman premiered in London on November 26, 2018 and was released in the US on December 21. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film, the highest-grossing film. Based on a DC Comics character, is the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2018 and the 20th-highest-grossing film of all time. Aquaman: King of Atlantis, an animated miniseries set after the film aired from October 14 to October 28, 2021, while a live-action sequel film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, is set to be released on December 22, 2023.

Details

In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Queen Atlanta from the underwater kingdom of Atlantis during a storm. They fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who has the ability to communicate with sea creatures. When the Atlantean soldiers sent by King Orvax (ruler of Atlantis) reach Atlanta, who has run away from her wedding, she is forced to leave her family to protect them from her people. He promises a safe return and returns to Atlantis, assigning his advisor Nuidis Volko to train Arthur. Being a skilled warrior, Arthur rejects Atlantis after Atlanta was executed by Orvax for loving a man and having a half-breed son.

In the present, Arthur has become known as a metahuman dubbed “Aquaman” by the public. A year after Steppenwolf’s defeat, [a] Arthur hijacked a Russian Akula-class submarine and confronted the pirates. Their leader, Jesse Kane, is killed, vowing revenge to his son David. David escapes with a TR-3B, which is later indicated to have been stolen from the United States Navy a few weeks earlier. King Orm Marius, son of Orvax (now the new ruler of Atlantis) and Arthur’s younger half-brother, helps King Nereus of Jebel destroy the surface world in order to unify Atlantis and pollute the oceans. If Orm were to unite the four kingdoms, he would gain the title of Ocean Master, commander of the most powerful force on Earth. They are ambushed by a Typhoon-class submarine, forcing Orm to send a tsunami.

Nereus’ daughter Mera, betrothed to Orm, refuses to help them and requests Arthur’s help. Arthur accompanies him to Atlantis after Orm sends a tsunami that nearly kills his father. Volko begs him to find the Trident of Atlante, a powerful relic of the first ruler of Atlantis, to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm’s men and Arthur is captured. Orm blames him for Atlana’s death and nearly kills him in a duel before Mera rescues him. Arthur and Mera travel to the fallen kingdom of the desert hidden beneath the Sahara, where the trident was forged, and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, Italy, where they retrieve the trident’s coordinates.

Orm gives David an Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur, captures Vulko, and forces the Fisher Kingdom to pledge their allegiance to him by killing their king. It is revealed that Orm hired David and his father to hijack a Russian submarine to win Nereus’ support. An armored David reconstitutes himself as Black Manta but Arthur defeats him. Arthur and Mera fend off the amphibious monsters of the trenches and a wormhole takes them to an unknown sea at the center of the Earth. They are reunited with Atlana, who was sacrificed in the trenches for Arthur’s illegitimate birth 20 years earlier. But he survived, and fled into the unknown sea, never to find his way back.

Arthur encounters Carathen, a mythical sea monster and keeper of the trident, and recovers the trident, which gives him control over the seven seas. Orm leads his army against the Kingdom of Brine to declare himself Master of the Ocean, while Arthur leads an army of sea creatures against him. Orm’s followers embrace Arthur as the true king given that he wields the trident of Atlan. Arthur saves Orm’s life, and Orm accepts his imprisonment after discovering that Arthur has rescued their mother. Atlanta reunites with Thomas, when Arthur ascends the throne.

In a mid-credits scene, David is rescued by Dr. Stephen Sheen, a marine scientist and conspiracy theorist who is obsessed with Atlantis and agrees to lead Sheen there in exchange for his revenge on Arthur.

Cast and characters

Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman:
A half-Atlantean, half-human who is reluctant to become the undersea king of Atlantis. He is a member of the Justice League. He possesses superhuman strength, durability, hydrokinetic abilities, can communicate with sea creatures and swim at supersonic speeds. A younger Arthur Curry is portrayed by various actors, including Kobi Booker as the child, Tainu and Tamor Kirkwood at age 3, Kahn Guldur at age 9, Otis Dhanji at age 13, and Kekoa Kecumano at age 16.
Amber Hard As Me:
The Princess of Jebel, the love interest of Arthur Curry, is a warrior and the daughter of King Nereus. She was raised by Queen Atlana and prepared to become queen. Mera possesses hydrokinetic and telepathic powers that allow her to control her aquatic environment and communicate with other Atlanteans.
Willem Dafoe as Vulco:
Vizier of Atlantis, who mentored young Arthur and trained him to fight. Dafoe was de-aged for flashback scenes.
Patrick Wilson as King Worm:
Arthur Curry’s younger Atlantean half-brother and King of Atlantis, who wants to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and become Ocean Master to declare war on the surface world for humanity’s desecration of the sea. Wilson previously voiced the President of the United States in the DC Extended Universe film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus:
Mera’s father and king of the Atlantean tribe of Jebel, whom Orm tricks into alliance under false pretenses.
Yahya Abdul Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta:
A ruthless pirate and high-seas mercenary with a flair for creating deadly technological innovations. He is not referred to by his civilian name in the film and is simply credited as “Manta”.
Ludi Lin as Captain Murk: Commander of the Men-of-War, Atlantis’ frontline army.
Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry: Arthur’s father and a lighthouse keeper.
Nicole Kidman as Atalana: Queen of Atlantis, mother of Arthur Curry and Orm.
Randall Park portrays Doctor Stephen Sheen, a marine biologist obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis. Graham MacTavish appears as King Atlan, the first king of Atlantis and ancestor of Atlanna, Arthur and Orm. Michael Beach plays Jesse, Manta’s father and the leader of their group of sea pirates.

Leigh Whannell, director Wan’s longtime film collaborator, appears in the film as a cargo pilot. Julie Andrews provides the voice of Karathen, a mythical sea monster and guardian of Atlan’s Trident who allies with Aquaman. John Rhys-Davies voice the King of Brine and Djimon Hounsou the fisherman King Ricou, while both of these characters are depicted on the screen through motion capture performed by Andrew Crawford. Natalia Safran and Sophia Forrest provide voice and motion capture for Fishermen Queen Rina and Fishermen Princess Scales, respectively.

Box Office

Aquaman grossed $335.1 million in the United States and Canada and $813.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.152 billion. It became the highest-grossing installment in the DCEU and the highest-grossing film based on any DC character alongside Warner Bros.’ Third-highest-grossing film worldwide behind Barbie ($1.403 billion) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($1.342 billion). Deadline Hollywood calculated the film’s net profit to be $260.5 million when all costs and revenues are factored in, making it the fifth-highest-grossing release of 2018.

About

Directed by	James Wan
Screenplay by	·         David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ·         Will Beall
Story by	·         Geoff Johns ·         James Wan ·         Will Beall
Based on	Characters from DC
Produced by	·         Peter Safran ·         Rob Cowan
Starring	·         Jason Momoa ·         Amber Heard ·         Willem Dafoe ·         Patrick Wilson ·         Dolph Lundgren ·         Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ·         Nicole Kidman
Cinematography	Don Burgess
Edited by	Kirk Morri
Music by	Rupert Gregson-Williams
Production companies	·         Warner Bros. Pictures ·         DC Entertainment ·         DC Films ·         RatPac Entertainment ·         The Safran Company ·         Cruel and Unusual Films ·         Mad Ghost Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	·         November 26, 2018 (Empire, Leicester Square) ·         December 21, 2018 (United States)
Running time	143 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$160–200 million
Box office	$1.152 billion

 

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