DC's live-action universe has had a bumpy road to theaters, with plenty of peaks and valleys since Zack Snyder's Man of Steel arrived in 2013. The next installment is James Wan's Aquaman, with the acclaimed horror director tasked with hopefully bringing DC's second critical success. The movie is breaking plenty of new ground, giving the title character his first solo movie, while also pushing the boundaries of filmmaking with its myriad underwater scenes.
Filming Aquaman sounds super complicated, with tons of wire work used in order to give the actors a sense of weightlessness, which will also be supported with visual affects. Jason Momoa was super uncomfortable, and recently joked about how bad it could get, telling the crew:
I weigh 240lbs, I can't feel my nuts! You have got to let me down! Take this damn thing off me!
Well, that's certainly an honest way to handle things. Jason Momoa is a big hulking guy, so being strapped in for extensive wirework no doubt took its toll on his body. Specifically, his private parts.
Jason Momoa's comments to Mirror.Co.Uk shows what a great character the Game of Thrones alum has. He's bringing a lot of himself into playing Arthur Curry, making the less popular hero into a bonafide badass and leading man. Rather than the butt of the jokes, Momoa brings a hulking physicality to Aquaman-- all 240 pounds of him.
James Wan had quite the task of ahead of him for Aquaman, as roughly 2/3 of the movie takes place underwater. As such, lots of movie magic was needed in order to visually make the world of Atlantis come to life. While he didn't overthink how the characters would be able to speak underwater, Wan did have to think of new ways to film each scene. Wires were used to make the characters appear weightless, and would be necessary for even the smallest movements.
After all, people aren't exactly walking around on the ocean floor-- they're swimming. Plus, their clothes and hair needed to be touched up with CGI, allowing them to float underwater.
The early reception for Aquaman has been overwhelmingly positive, praising James Wan's vision and the performance by Jason Momoa as the title character. With no Star Wars movie in theaters, the underwater blockbuster has the potential to really clean up at the Holiday box office. While Aquaman will be competing with other highly anticipated projects like Mary Poppins Returns, James Wan's movie will be the destination for action fans and Star Wars lovers who don't have a chapter to watch this December.
It should be fascinating to see how the underwater scenes function in Aquaman, and if any of the cast's discomfort reads onscreen. DC needs a win badly, so the pressure is on for Arthur Curry's solo flick to deliver.
Aquaman will arrive in theaters on December 21st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
