Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomwill bring back Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) for another action-packed adventure through the depths of the ocean. But the member of the Justice League won’t be the only character from the first movie to come back for the sequel. Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is ready to take revenge on Aquaman for what happened during the previous installment, and he won’t let anything get in his way. Collider’sTaylor Gatesattended a special press preview of the trailer forAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, where directorJames Wannanswered questions provided by the attendees. During the event, the director talked about why Black Manta will be more dangerous in the sequel:
“One of the things I wanna point out is, in the first movie, he’s obviously a human — which he still is in this one — but because he has stumbled onto the Lost Kingdom, he’s now empowered in a way that he wasn’t in the first film. So finally, he’s able to kind of go one-on-one with Arthur Curry, who is a superhuman being.”
The firstAquamanmovie served as an origin story, stitching together many of the elements from the character’s long history in the comic books. When that film premiered in theaters in 2018, Abdul-Mateen II’s David Kane was merely a mercenary seeking revenge for the death of his father. While he had his own super suit, he was merely human making him no match for Aquaman’s Atlantean-born abilities. By the time the credits rolled, Kane had already built his iconic Black Manta costume and was set to begin the training he needed to become a worthy opponent for Arthur.
However, a lot of time has passed since Arthur joined theJustice League, meaning that the events of theAquamanandZack Snyder’s crossover movie are a few years removed from the upcoming sequel. While the plot forAquaman and the Lost Kingdomhas been mostly under wraps, the new trailer establishes that Arthur will face an ancient dark power that will be unleashed in the waters of Atlantis. It looks like Black Manta will be the central villain in the sequel, as the titular hero must team up with a former foe to protect their underwater kingdom.
‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Features an All-Star Supporting Cast
The first movie established that the characters surrounding Arthur’s journey would be played by recognizable faces, and most of them are coming back in the upcoming sequel.Patrick Wilsonwill reprise his role as Orm Marius, Arthur’s half-brother and the main antagonist of the first installment. Wan has previously teased thatthe upcoming sequel will see the two brothers working togetheras the central relationship of the movie.Amber Heardwill also return as Mera,Arthur’s love interestand a powerful warrior from Atlantis.TemueraMorrisonandNicoleKidmanare also set to reprise their roles as Arthur’s parents.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomopens in theaters on December 20,watch the new trailer now.
