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Aquaman footage unveiled at CinemaCon

By Instep Desk
Thu, 04, 18

A rough footage for James Wan’s live-action superhero film, Aquaman, was unveiled during the Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon, giving those in attendance a first look at the eagerly-anticipated DC Extended Universe film.

Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Will Arnett and Jason Mamoa at CinemaCon presentation.


Since 2011, all of the biggest film studios gather in Las Vegas for CinemaCon, a 4-day long event, attracting attendees from more than 80 countries. CinemaCon, held at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from April 23 till 26 April 2018, not only featured the likes of Warner Bros., Disney, and Universal but also screened previews from potential summer blockbusters.

A rough footage for James Wan’s Aquaman was unveiled during the Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon recently, giving those in attendance a first look at the eagerly-anticipated DC Extended Universe film. The cast and crew promised that the finished project will rival the sense of adventure and epic scope found in Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings.

According to Variety, “The upcoming DC Comics adaptation will find the underwater lord battling his corrupt half-brother (Patrick Wilson) after returning to the Kingdom of Atlantis. He is also tasked with trying to prevent a brewing conflict between the sea dwellers and the people on the ‘surface world’.” Jason Momoa reprised his Justice League role as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, portraying the superhero as a man who “solves problems with his fists”.

The film’s first-look included plenty of one-liners. “I’m a blunt instrument and I’m damn good at it,” Momoa says at one point in the footage.

After the screening, James Wan made it very clear that the footage shown was not an official teaser trailer and was just a work in progress. Even so, this was the first glimpse from the film, since no teaser has been released as yet.


“The footage included Momoa’s Aquaman pulling a submarine out of the water, what appeared to be shark horses and vistas of Atlantean skyscrapers (though technically, if they are underwater, would they still be skyscrapers?). The villains, including Abdul-Mateen’s Black Manta and Wilson’s Ocean Master also appeared briefly, “stated Hollywood Reporter.

“The director said the film’s effects are very much a work-in-progress, but told the crowd of theater owners that he hoped they could ‘catch a glimpse of something that may represent the fun film I’m going for’,” noted Variety.Later, Momoa and Wan were joined on stage by Amber Heard. The actress plays Mera, the queen of Atlantis, and, in Heard’s telling, a warrior in her own right. She also said that she is not a damsel in distress.

In addition to Aquaman, Warner Bros.’ DC presentation also had a featurette with interviews with Wonder Woman 2 director Patty Jenkins and Shazam! helmer David Sandberg, who said of the next generation of upcoming DC films, “We are creating a modern DC cinematic universe.”Aquaman, Warner Bros.’ only live-action superhero movie is set to hit theatres on December 21.

—With information from Hollywood Reporter and Variety.