"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" Delayed by Two Days

Warner Bros. has moved "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom", the sequel to 2018’s “Aquaman“, from its previously announced release date of December 20. 

Less than two months out from release, the movie will now open on December 22 — yet another new release date — meaning the pic will have the standard three-day opening weekend instead of the originally planned five-day launch that was initially planned by the studio.

The shift gives the sequel a little bit of extra space away from the Timothée Chalamet chocolatier prequel “Wonka.” Warner Bros. is also releasing that spin on novelist Roald Dahl’s enduring character, debuting the pic on December 15.

The DC Studios movie follows Jason Momoa’s aquatic DC hero Arthur Curry, better known as the half-human, half-Atlantean hero Aquaman, now sitting on the throne of Atlantis. 

The sequel sees him team up with his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) to fight the ruthless pirate Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

Here’s the logline: “Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.”

In addition to Momoa, Wilson and Abdul-Mateen, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Willem Dafoe, Amber Heard, and Dolph Lundgren will also reprise their roles from the original movie, with Randall Park appearing as Dr. Stephen Shin after making a cameo in the first movie. 

Vincent Regan, Indya Moore, and Pilou Asbæk also join the cast. James Wan returns to helm the sequel, with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick penning the script.

The movie has attracted attention for being the first major project featuring Heard after last year’s highly publicized defamation trial between the actress and her ex-husband Johnny Depp. 

During the trial, Heard claimed that her role was cut down by the studio following the fallout from her divorce from Depp, which caused her to receive significant online harassment. She said she made $1 million for the first “Aquaman” and $2 million for the sequel, though the role was “a very pared-down version.”

However, Wan told Entertainment Weekly that the “Aquaman” sequel was always envisioned to focus on Arthur and Orm’s relationship: “I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first ‘Aquaman’ was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, the second one was a bromance action-adventure movie.”

The “Aquaman” sequel is the fourth DC movie to release this year, following lackluster launches for “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash” and “Blue Beetle.” 

New DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the DC Universe, but no decision has been announced regarding Aquaman or Momoa’s involvement in the upcoming slate.