James Wan Says He’s ‘Forever Indebted’ To Jason Momoa For ‘Aquaman’ Hitting $1 Billion

Aquaman starring Jason Momoa has continued its tidal-wave takeover of the box office and has now officially crossed the $1 billion mark! Aquaman is the first DC Superhero movie to cross the $1 billion mark since Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. The James Wan lead ocean-adventure has been one of the few massive box offices success for the DCEU and should bode well for future standalone DCEU movies.

Director James Wan, known primarily for his horror-director background in directing Insidious and The Conjuring 1 & 2, released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter thanking Jason Momoa for his efforts on the project:

“I’ll forever be indebted to Jason for turning Aquaman into one of the coolest, cinematic superheroes ever, and becoming the gold standard for this character for generations to come”

Fans of the DCEU and Aquaman know the multiple year-long journey undertaken by James Wan, Jason Momoa, and even Zack Snyder (who initially cast Momoa as Aquaman), to bring the hero to the screen. Aquaman’s appearance and ‘swagger’ was tweaked specifically for Jason Momoa and included incorporating aspects of his Maori culture. For years Aquaman has been the brunt of jokes on his powers and looks, however, Wan, in cooperation with Momoa, were able to bring a fresh update to this character that translated very well to the big screen.

Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an acition-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.

The DCEU continues with Aquaman which is now playing and will be followed by Shazam! on April 5, 2019, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), on February 7, 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020. A standalone Joker film set outside of the DC Films universe starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime is also set to hit theaters October 4, 2019.

Source: THR