Since Aquaman is an origin story, it includes quite a few flashback scenes that explain the hero's beginnings as a kid -- learning about his abilities to breathe underwater and talk to sea creatures -- amidst the jam-packed adventure of the present.
However, not every detail about Arthur Curry's origin that was filmed for Aquaman made it in the final product. Director James Wan has revealed one scene he was sad to see go. Here's what he said to ComicBook.com:
I count one or two scenes ultimately that I didn't feel like it moved the narrative forward in a big way, and already I'm like the movie is a bit longer than I would like, and so you're trying to find stuff just to cut down. And so there was one scene that hopefully will be on the Blu-Ray or DVD, and that is how Arthur learned to breathe underwater for the first time.
The theatrical release of Aquaman is two hours and 23 minutes long. That's pretty standard for a blockbuster superhero film, but pushing it past the two-and-a-half-hour mark could have hurt the film's pacing. James Wan had to make an executive decision to take out a couple of flashback scenes to focus on moving the story forward, and it looks like one was about a young Arthur learning how to breathe underwater.
Sounds like an interesting scene and we'll look forward to hopefully seeing it when Aquaman hits home release. For films like this that have a lot of source material to cover, there comes plenty of exciting on-screen opportunities.
While some directors might have kept it all in and deemed in necessary, cutting some unnecessary scenes -- even if they are cool -- is a sign of a director who pays more attention to the intended audience over his ego. James Wan continued with this:
I know it sounds very important, but it being a flashback scene, I really felt like I had too many flashbacks as it were, and that I didn't want to cram another one in there. And I felt like it was the only one that I could lose without having the narrative suffer.
Since Aquaman is making an early huge splash at the box office and is impressing its audiences, the hero could certainly get a sequel. James Wan is however not currently contracted to direct the film's sequel -- but if he did, he would have room to explore more flashback scenes or visions that didn't quite make it into this one.
Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as the titular hero, with Amber Heard as Mera, along with Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman and Dolph Lundgren. The DCEU film is playing in theaters now.
