There’s arguably a lot less pressure on James Wan’s Aquaman 2 than there was for the first installment, with a lot of analysts unconvinced that the DCEU blockbuster would be able to overcome the stigma attached to the title hero that had seen him reduced to the butt of many jokes in the eyes of the general population.
As we all know, though, the complete opposite happened, with Arthur Curry’s solo debut exploding into life at the box office to become the single highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation ever made, which is an impressive return for a so-called B-tier superhero. Of course, it helped massively that Wan embraced the insanity and inherent ridiculousness of the concept, delivering an unashamedly cheesy and hugely enjoyable romp that largely kept its tongue firmly in cheek.
Shooting on the sequel is set to begin in a matter of months, and despite over 1.5 million people voicing their objections, Amber Heard is still on board to play the female lead. However, there’ve been unconfirmed reports making the rounds that a second major female character will be added into the script as well, with an eye to diverting some of the fury away from Heard’s mere existence.
Not only that, but insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming that Aquaman 2 is going to have much more in the way of “girl power and feminism,” although he doesn’t exactly go into details on a vague statement that will inevitably draw eye rolls from many folks. Obviously, the film isn’t called Aquawoman or Aquaperson, so it’s unclear what exactly Richtman could be referring to.
That being said, Mera and Nicole Kidman’s Queen Atlanna were the only prominent women in the first movie, so Aquaman 2 will more than likely increase the female presence among the cast. Totally reinventing Jason Momoa’s underwater frat bro as a feminist icon, however, sounds a little too far-fetched at this stage.