Though the signs are generally promising for the release of Aquaman later this month, Arthur Curry’s solo debut has a lot of troubled DCEU history to make up for. Last year’s Justice League in particular was the subject of some notoriously heavy reshoots courtesy of Joss Whedon, and the commercially underwhelming, critically derided results had fans everywhere crying out for the release of the fabled Snyder Cut. And among the many unused scenes that the project’s original director shot was a sequence that would lead Aquaman’s story into the events of his upcoming flick.
In an interview with WSVN-TV, Jason Momoa was asked where exactly his next movie fits into the DCEU timeline, prompting the star to recall how Zack Snyder had initially intended for his film to directly connect to James Wan’s flick. Apparently, Momoa shot some footage opposite Amber Heard and Willem Dafoe, playing Mera and Vulko respectively, in which the two Atlanteans warn Arthur of an incoming force that they’ll need his help with, prompting the hero to get into the back of a pickup truck, pound a bottle, and head home.
Evidently, Snyder’s film was originally going to do more to set up the events of Aquaman, though James Wan may not have appreciated such connections. Earlier this year, the director recalled how he talked Snyder out of introducing Atlantis in Justice League, saving this grand reveal for Arthur’s solo movie.
It’s understandable that Wan might want to distance his work a little from what came before, seeing how the DCEU isn’t in the best standing with the filmgoing public or the critics right now, but we’ll find out if Aquaman can bring this franchise back on course when the film theaters on December 21st.