Aquaman 2 has been rife with several behind-the-scenes controversies, from the issues surrounding its one cast member, Amber Heard, to the alleged production disaster. So, are these rumors true? Finally, the film’s director, James Wan, breaks his silence and addresses the claims.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Aquaman 2, aptly titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, was in the middle of a huge controversy after the documents from the Johnny Depp-Heard trial surfaced, revealing it had a toxic work environment. There were also claims that the film underwent extensive reshoots after reportedly receiving “terrible test scores” last year.
James Wan Addresses Aquaman 2 Rumors
In an interview for the new issues of Empire magazine, Wan denied all the claims surrounding his latest movie. He believed news organizations only made these rumors up to create drama and gain traffic. He even claimed that the negative reports differed greatly from his firsthand experience on the set.
That said, the filmmaker stressed he had creative control of Aquaman 2, and there were no issues with the reshoots. He even changed his first claim about it. After revealing the reshoots took a while, he said it only happened for a week.
Ain’t no way he had sufficient freedom directing Aquaman 2. That movie had so many reshoots and so much studio interference, I refuse to believe this. That being said, I would love if James Wan could direct something in the DCU his visuals are beautiful https://t.co/KmkZkAryvq
— Lex (@AlexSheen0) October 23, 2023
“I’ve had to learn to be more Zen in dealing with all the noise around me, for sure,” he said. “I’m a pretty private person. 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.”
Wan also shut down the claims that James Gunn and Peter Safran’s takeover of DC Studios had affected Aquaman 2, revealing that they only did “seven or eight days of reshoots,” which he described as “nothing,” considering the movie’s size.
“It was just spread out because it’s so hard to get your actors back once you’ve finished the initial shoot,” he explained.
https://twitter.com/ormymarius/status/1716506071714451891
So, amid all these issues, is Wan still interested in doing Aquaman 3? Though he hasn’t done it before, he’s willing to do it if he will still have the same creative freedom that he has in the previous two films.
“I’m not sure what direction [Gunn and Safran] are going in, though, so who knows? I’ve learned to never say never,” he continued.
The Controversies Surrounding Aquaman 2 Explained
The extent of the controversies surrounding Aquaman 2 was so massive it even reached the court when DC film boss Walter Hamada testified about the alleged lack of chemistry between the lead star Jason Momoa and Heard that would have resulted in the latter’s sacking. Though it did not happen, there were several non-stop claims that the controversial actress would be fired from the movie. And that did not happen, too.
A lot of people were also involved, from Depp to the fans to Heard’s ex, Elon Musk, who allegedly threatened DC if it removed his then-girlfriend from the film. The trial documents also revealed that Momoa showed up on the set drunk, dressed as Depp, and tried to have Heard fired.
Be honest. Are you going to watch Aquaman 2 in theatres? pic.twitter.com/bK4SB5pzwN
— Geralt of North (@Itssan17) October 22, 2023
Despite these rumors’ severity and noise, nothing from it was confirmed true. Momoa had no creative control to fire Heard, so that claim was also questionable.
These negative talks have made the film controversial, but Aquaman 2 may take advantage of it. The controversies may have piqued the fans’ interest, probably inciting them to watch the movie. As they say, good or bad publicity is still publicity, and it subtly promotes the film without much effort from the cast and crew—though it puts their images at risk.