‘Aquaman’ director James Wan shares his vision for the DC superhero
James Wan details how he wants to change people’s perception of the famed superhero.
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Reporting from San Diego — “Aquaman” director James Wan is looking forward to showing fans a side of the DC Comics superhero they aren’t anticipating.
“I would like them to go in with the expectation that they’ve had from ‘SuperFriends’ that this is the superhero that other superheroes make fun of because he talks to fish,” he grinned, referencing the oceanic hero’s big screen introduction in Warner Bros.’ “Justice League.” “Then be taken aback because it’s not like that at all… go in expecting the unexpected.”
In San Diego a day before unveiling the first “Aquaman” footage to nearly 7,000 screaming fans, Wan stopped by the L.A. Times Comic-Con studio to tease his December superhero blockbuster.
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“Aquaman” picks up after the events of “Justice League,” sending Jason Momoa’s half-human, half-Atlantean hero Arthur Curry on a personal journey.
“I wanted to capture the swashbuckling, action-adventurous spirit of movies I grew up with in the ‘80s,” he said, referencing Steven Spielberg, Jim Cameron and “Big Trouble in Little China”’s trucker hero Jack Burton as inspiration.
“It’s so great that we have an actor that represents the Polynesian-slash-Asian community,” Wan added of Momoa, who is multi-ethnic. “His own personal upbringing really fits in with the story of Arthur Curry.”
“Aquaman” is the sixth film in the expanding DC cinematic series, but Wan is no stranger to stepping into established franchises and making his mark: He did it in 2015 with “Furious 7,” the “Fast and the Furious” movies.“It’s not dissimilar to that where I came into an established world that was already set up, but as a filmmaker I needed to bring my own voice to it,” he said. “Coming into this world there were things I definitely had to respect and should respect — but at the same time I have to make sure I’m able to make the film I want to make.”
Watch the full video below for more on “Aquaman” (and Wan’s take on the continuing fight for #JusticeForHan).
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