Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan shared the way he's dealing with negativity surrounding his upcoming DCU sequel.
Although fans now have an idea of what to expect from Aquaman 2 after the film's first trailer finally debuted, several factors are harboring an unfortunate amount of negativity for the upcoming sequel's theatrical debut.
From the controversial defamation trial centered on star Amber Heard to the film being the very last entry in the DC Extended Universe, the aquatic sequel has a lot working against it in terms of potential success with critics and at the box office.
Aquaman 2 Director on Negativity for New Film
Coming from the latest issue of Empire Magazine, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director addressed the negative sentiment surrounding the release of his second DCU film.
Even with the reports of major reshoots to adjust the plot of Aquaman 2 and plenty of other publicly-discussed issues, Wan is still "so happy for it to come out" and teased that it's "even more fun than the first one:"
"I’ve been on this movie for four years now, and I’m so happy for it to come out. In many ways I think it’s even more fun than the first one. But it’s been a long, exhausting process. It is definitely the noisiest movie I’ve ever worked on."
When asked about the process of completing Aquaman 2 amidst all the changes happening in the DC Universe, Wan compared it to "living in a house that’s being renovated" as he progresses toward finishing his work.
As for whether Aquaman 3 could become a possibility, Wan isn't even sure if he would have the time to make it happen.
For the time being, Wan is looking forward to Aquaman 2's release after the first trailer debuted online, expressing that he was "so happy that people are reacting to the film itself rather than the noise around it."
More than anything else, Wan has worked to "filter out the negativity and focus on the film," pointing out that fans will only remember the movie itself in the future rather than the chatter surrounding its release:
"That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from this experience. To filter out the negativity and focus on the film. Because that’s what will live on — in 20 years, no-one will remember the noise. Only the movie."
How Successful Will Aquaman 2 Be?
It's no secret that Aquaman 2 has plenty of obstacles in its path to success, partially due to nearly a handful of delays to its release date after it was originally supposed to arrive in December 2022.
Should the film's stars be able to promote the film at all with the SAG-AFTRA strike still ongoing, Amber Heard's place in the film is going to be a major talking point if the embattled star is in the public eye for the promo tour.
Additionally, the sequel is facing even more trouble as a whole with test screenings that have many fans concerned about its quality, particularly with this being the send-off for the DCEU before James Gunn and Peter Safran's new franchise.
But after Jason Momoa's original film became the DCEU's only billion-dollar hit at the box office, a sliver of hope remains that the follow-up can achieve that same feat.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will splash into theaters on December 22.
