Blumhouse Productions
Update: Warner Bros. has officially announced James Wan as director of Aquaman.
While nothing is set in stone yet, the director of Aquaman is likely going to be James Wan, who is very, very hot right now coming off the success of Furious 7. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s the first choice of Warner Bros., who haven’t made an offer but have taken meetings with the director, who is also known for the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises. That’s going to be good news for anyone worried that Zack Snyder would take the helm of the oceanic superhero’s first solo feature. Jason Mamoa, who is playing Aquaman for the movie and the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe mega-franchise, previously said he wanted Snyder for the gig.
Wan also isn’t among the six names I recommended for the movie last December. I don’t know how perfect he is. He hasn’t even made a mermaid rom-com or killer sharks movie or a documentary aimed at saving dolphins. He did have some underwater shots in Dead Silence, but I don’t think that’s enough to qualify him for a movie that we have to assume will be mostly set beneath the surface of the sea. Then again, the guy wasn’t really known for doing big action before he was picked for the Fast and Furious franchise. Speaking of which, he takes Aquaman, that might mean he can’t return for the eight installment of that series. And we can presume that after the previous weekend’s box office that Universal would like him back.
The director is already working with Warner Bros. at the moment, preparing to helm The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist. And he recently told Collider that he likes the old school family tradition and atmosphere of the studio before being asked if he’d consider doing a DC superhero movie. At that time, Wan was hesitant to say, but he also didn’t give the impression that he’d say no to taking on something like this.
Aquaman is due in theaters on July 27, 2018, soon after The Flash, which could be helmed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord.
This post was originally published on April 10, 2015, before the news was confirmed.