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The short answer is that Aquaman 3 might or might not be happening. After appearing in The Flash's post-credits sequence recently and in the first installment of the franchise back in 2018, Jason Momoa returned to the big screen as Aquaman/Arthur Curry in the Lost Kingdom.
To give viewers a feeling of a self-contained film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom recalls previous DCEU cinematic happenings for people who are not acquainted with the franchise's past. This is also because Aquaman 2 was reshot to avoid conflicting with James Gunn's upcoming DCU reboot.
The ten-year DC cinematic journey concluded with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but there might still be hopes for a third film, as hinted by director James Wan himself. What complicates this is the upcoming DCU reboot by James Gunn. In this article, we will talk about how the DCEU came to a close with the Lost Kingdom and why there might or might not be an Aquaman 3.
Will there be an Aquaman 3?
The future of Aquaman 3 looks uncertain, to say the least. Warner Bros. has not yet made any announcements regarding a third installment. Furthermore, it was officially confirmed that the last movie to be released in DC's Extended Universe before the impending hard reboot directed by James Gunn and Peter Safran would be Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
However, during press conferences for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, there were constant allusions to a third film. James Wan, the director of the DCEU, first suggested that Aquaman 2 set up Aquaman 3 in September 2023 (via Entertainment Weekly).
"What I can speak to that is the Jason Momoa story as Aquaman definitely has more places to go. [...] Where we go at the end of this movie, it does tee up something bigger—or, not bigger, but it does tee up a direction for that story and I don't want to speak to that just because it's the end of the movie."
Jason Momoa shares his director's thoughts as Wan plays with ideas. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Momoa expressed his wish to continue portraying the Atlantean superhero while acknowledging the unknowns surrounding Aquaman's future.
"I've been playing him for 12 years, I love this character. I have a lot of ideas of what I'd love to do with him. But it really comes down to the audience... I think it's an amazing movie, I hope it does well, if it does better than the first one, why wouldn't they make another one? That's just me being realistic."
Aquaman 3 is yet to be revealed, even with all of these optimisms and hints from the cast and crew of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Warner Bros. is now in the process of reorganizing its studio to become a cohesive universe instead of what it was before; therefore, the 2023 releases under the previous brand have not received much attention.
Additionally, the CEO of DC Studio, James Gunn, has revealed that the Justice League, in his redition of the DCU, will have a new cast. Thus, subsequent relaunch contributions to the DC world will not be impacted in any way by the latest movie's conclusion.
As previously mentioned, a number of scenes in the current movie were reshot to make sure they wouldn't conflict with James Gunn's planned DCU flicks. So it is also probable that the hints Wan mentioned to The Lost Kingdom about setting up an Aquaman 3 were also removed for the sake of continuity.
The primary adversary, Black Manta, is shown trying to unearth the civilization named "The Lost Kingdom" in the most recent installment of the Atlantean's Adventure. At the beginning of the film, Manta discovers the dangerous Black Trident, which initiates his quest.
The Trident also holds King Kordax, the brother of King Atlan. Kordax promises to get revenge on Aquaman if Black Manta finds the Lost Kingdom of Necrus and lifts King Atlan's curse. Following the loss of Kordax's brotherhood, Atlan's curse condemned the whole Necrus civilization to an existence of ice concealed under the Antarctic ice caps.
The film ends with Black Manta seemingly dying. His desire for revenge against Arthur Curry was a driving force of the second installment (in the first movie, Arthur defeats a gang of pirates headed by Black Manta and his father. Curry destroys their boat and leaves them stranded in the sea.) With Black Manta's death is not confirmed or denied by the movie, it does seem to mark the character's end. Thus, bringing an end to the adaptation of this revenge arc.
While an Aquaman 3 may not happen, fans can enjoy the last installment in the old DCEU, Aquaman 2 in theatres right now.
