Your Nerd Side Halloween Special Part 01
In a recent interview with Empire, James Wan, director of the upcoming Aquamansequel, shot down rumors of a Batman appearance. Whether or not Ben Affleck's Batman would return for a short cameo was up in the air, with different outlets and fans speculating that Affleck was on set a few times. The rumors went unconfirmed for a period of time, but Wan recently spoke on them, answering if the vigilante would make an appearance: "Probably not. All I'll say is that those scenes were just to have something in the bank in case we needed to explain time continuity if we came out [before The Flash]."
Why Remove the Cameo?
The concern for continuity confusion makes sense; with the myriad of separate Batman interpretations, actors and timelines, the decision to nix Affleck from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a safe one. Furthermore, with the addition of The Flash recently, audiences are more likely to continue tuning into the universe if there's less confusing moving parts. That being said, Aquaman 2 hasn't necessarily been smooth sailing for the filmmakers and actors involved. Amber Heard's return as Mera was met with severe backlash following her incredibly public trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp; allegations of on-set inappropriate behavior and public intoxication by Jason Momoa were also thrown around.
In the same interview, Wan stated that despite all the noise surrounding Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's production and cast, he ultimately tunes it all out to focus on his work. “I’m a pretty private person," he said. "I don’t get on social media and have fights, but it’s difficult because this narrative has emerged that is not the reality. The noise is fun to write about, and it gets clicks, but people don’t know the truth.” Feedback on big projects is nothing new to the filmmaker, who previously led the successful franchise The Nun, a spinoff of The Conjuring series.
Once Aquaman 2 closes, James Wan will relinquish his DC post and hand the keys to James Gunn and Peter Safran. Prior to Wan, Zack Snyder led the DCEU, which ends its timeline with the Aquaman sequel. Gunn has been vocal about the decisions that will be made once he steps in, such as addressing what will be canon and what actors will and won't return. Gunn is previously known for directing the wildly popular Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, a favorite among MCU fans.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will premiere in theaters on Dec. 20.
Source: Empire
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