Aquaman is a 2018 American superhero aquaman film based on aquaman the DC character aquaman of the same name. Produced by DC Entertainment aquaman and Peter Safran Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by James Wan, from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall. It stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman, who sets out to lead the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and stop 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.
aquaman Development began in 2004 but did not gain traction until Man of Steel aquaman was released in 2013. In August 2014, Beall and Kurt Johnstad were hired to write competing scripts. Wan signed on as director in April 2015, and in July 2016, the film moved forward with Beall’s screenplay. The main cast was confirmed through 2016 and early 2017. Principal photography began in Australia in May 2017, taking place at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, with additional production teams in Canada, Italy and Morocco. Filming concluded the following October. Several vendors provided visual effects, ranging from high-detail hair simulations to the creation of CGI animals and locations.
Aquaman premiered in London on November 26, 2018, and was released in the United States on December 21. It grossed $1.148 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film, the highest-grossing film based on a DC aquaman Comics character, and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2018. The film received praise for aquaman its visual effects, production design, action sequences, Wan’s direction, and Momoa’s performance, while being criticized for its script, dialogue, and story. An animated miniseries set after the film, Aquaman: King of aquaman Atlantis, 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 25, 2023.Plot[edit]
In 1985 Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Atlanna, the queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, during a storm. They fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who has the power to communicate with sea creatures. When Atlantean soldiers sent by King Orvax (the ruler of Atlantis) arrive to retrieve Atlanna, who fled her arranged marriage in Atlantis, aquaman she defeats them but is forced to leave her family to protect them from her people. She promises to return when safe to do so and goes back to Atlantis, entrusting her advisor, Nuidis Vulko, to train Arthur. Becoming a skilled warrior, Arthur rejects Atlantis upon learning that Atlanna was executed by Orvax for loving a human and having a half-breed son.
In the present, one year after Steppenwolf’s defeat,[a] Arthur confronts pirates hijacking a Russian Akula-class submarine. Their leader is killed in a failed attempt to kill Arthur, and the leader’s son David vows revenge. The present king Orm Marius, Orvax’s son (who is now Atlantis’s new ruler after his father died) and Arthur’s younger half-brother, convinces King Nereus of Xebel to help unite Atlantis and destroy the surface world for polluting the oceans. If Orm unites all four kingdoms, he will receive the title of Ocean Master, commander of the most powerful force on the planet. Nereus agrees to help after they are attacked by the hijacked submarine.
Nereus’ daughter aquaman aquaman Mera, betrothed to Orm, refuses to aid them and requests Arthur’s help. Arthur accompanies her back to Atlantis, where Vulko urges him to find the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact of Atlantis’ first ruler, to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by aquaman Orm’s men, and Arthur is captured. Orm blames him for Atlanna’s death and nearly kills him in a duel before Mera rescues him. Arthur and Mera journey to the fallen Kingdom of the Deserters hidden under the Sahara desert, 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 a prototype Atlantean battle suit to kill Arthur, imprisons Vulko, and coerces the Kingdom of the Fishermen to pledge their allegiance to him by killing their king and forcing the queen and princess to accept. It is also revealed that Orm hired David and his father to hijack the Russian submarine (which is the same one that attacked Atlantis earlier) to win Nereus’s support. An armored David rechristens himself as Black Manta and injures Arthur, but Arthur manages to defeat David. At their destination, Arthur and Mera fend off amphibious monsters of the Trench, and a wormhole transports them to an uncharted sea at the center of the Earth. They are reunited with Atlanna, who was sacrificed to the Trench for Arthur’s illegitimate birth 20 years ago, but had survived and aquaman escaped to the uncharted sea, alive and well.
Arthur faces the Karathen, a mythical leviathan and keeper of the trident, and voices his determination to protect both Atlantis and the surface, reclaiming the trident, which grants him control over the seven seas. Orm leads his army against the Kingdom of the Brine to aquaman declare himself Ocean Master, while Arthur, with Mera, Karathen, and the Trench, lead an army of marine creatures against him. Orm’s followers embrace Arthur as the true king upon learning that he wields Atlan’s trident. Arthur defeats Orm but spares his life, and Orm accepts his imprisonment after discovering that Arthur rescued their mother. Atlanna reunites with Thomas as promised, while Arthur ascends to the throne.
In a mid-credits scene, David is rescued by Dr. Stephen Shin, a marine scientist and conspiracy theorist obsessed with Atlantis, and agrees to lead Shin there in exchange for help in his revenge on Arthur.Cast[edit]
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman:A half-Atlantean, half-human who is reluctant to be king of the undersea nation of Atlantis. He is a member of the Justice League. He possessessuperhuman strength, durability, and has the ability to manipulate hydrokinesis, the tides, communicate with sea creatures and swim at supersonic speeds.[7] A younger Arthur Curry is portrayed by various actors, including Kobi Booker as the infant, Tainu and Tamor Kirkwood at age 3, Kaan Guldur at age 9, Otis Dhanji at age 13 and Kekoa Kekumano at age 16.[8]Amber Heard as Mera:The princess of Xebel, Arthur Curry’s love interest, a warrior and daughter of King Nereus. She was raised by Queen Atlanna and groomed to become queen. Mera possesses hydrokinetic and telepathic powers that aquaman allow her to control her aquatic environment and communicate with other Atlanteans.[9]Willem Dafoe as Vulko:Atlantis’ vizier, who mentored the young Arthur and trains him to fight. Dafoe was digitally de-aged for the flashback scenes.Patrick Wilson as King Orm:Arthur Curry’s Atlantean half-brother and king of Atlantis, who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and become the Ocean Master to declare war on the surface world for humanity’s desecration of the seas. Wilson previously portrayed Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II in the film Watchmen (2009) and voiced the President of the United States of America in the DC Extended Universe film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), making Aquaman his third DC Comics-based film appearance.Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus:The king of the Atlantean tribe of Xebel and Mera’s father, whom Orm tricks into an alliance through false pretences.Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as David Kane / Black Manta:[b]A ruthless pirate and a 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 credited simply as “Manta”.Ludi Lin as Captain Murk:The commander of the Men-of-War, the frontline army of Atlantis.Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry:Arthur’s father and a lighthouse keeper. Morrison previously appeared as Abin Sur in the 2011 film Green Lantern, making Aquaman his second DC Comics film appearance.Nicole Kidman as Atlanna:The Queen of Atlantis, mother of Arthur Curry and Orm. Kidman previously starred as Dr. Chase Meridian in the 1995 film Batman Forever, making Aquaman her second DC Comics film appearance.
Randall Park portrays Doctor Stephen Shin, a marine biologist obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis. Graham McTavish appears as King Atlan, the first king of Atlantis and the ancestor of Atlanna, Arthur, and Orm. Michael Beach plays Jessie, Manta’s father and the leader of their group of ocean pirates.