Withproduction startingthis summer in Australia on Warner Bros.‘Aquaman, the supporting cast is now starting to come together. A recent video even revealed thatJason Momoahas begun his stunt training for this superhero adventure. The story is still being kept under wraps, though, with very little revealed about this stand alone film. Over the weekend, directorJames Wananswered a few fan questions through social media, confirming that the DC Comics character Aqualad will not be a part of this movie.
Last night, one fan asked directorJames Wanon Twitter if he’s looking for an actor to play Aqualad. The director’s response was swift and merciless, saying that he is, “Absolutely not at all” looking to cast someone as Aqualad. This confirmation upset some fans, with one even going so far as to claim that the exclusion of Aqualad “crushed” his dreams. The director responded by joking that Batman should be established before Robin is thrown into the universe, essentially stating that he wants to make sure Aquaman is properly established before a sidekick is introduced.
Aqualad was introduced in the DC animated seriesYoung Justice, with the character created byGreg Weisman,Brandon ViettiandPhil Bourassa, withKhary Payton(The Walking Dead) voicing the character on the animated series. Aqualad was so popular on the series that DC brought him into the comics, withGeoff JohnsandIvan Reiscreating this version of the character named Jackson Hyde, making his comics debut inBrightest Day#4, which was published in August 2010. While he did gain a certain level of popularity on theYoung Justiceseries, there is likely a good reason why he isn’t included in this story.
A report surfaced in October 2015 that this newAquamanmovie is inspired by theNew 52reboot comics, but Aqualad wasn’t featured in the New 52 reboot. The Jackson Hyde character did return to the DC Comics in DC Rebirth, where he was portrayed as a homosexual teenager, who has a near superhuman talent for swimming. He later joins the Teen Titans when they encounter him while exploring the San Francisco Bay for a mission. It’s certainly possible that Aqualad could surface at some later point in theDCEUonceAquamanhas been established, but that’s quite a ways down the road from now.
Jason Momoaleads a growing cast inAquamanas Arthur Curry/Aquaman, withAmber Heardas Mera,Willem Dafoeas Nuidis Vulko,Patrick Wilsonas Arthur’s half-brother Orm,Nicole KidmanasAquaman’s mother Atlanna,Yahya Abdul-Mateen IIas the villainous Black Manta andTemuera Morrisonas Aquaman’s human father, Tom Curry.James WandirectsAquamanfrom a script byWill Beall, with Warner Bros. setting an August 05, 2025 release date. As of now, the superhero adventure doesn’t have any direct competition, but it does come two weeks before Warner Bros.‘Jungle Book: Originsand an untitled Blumhouse horror-thriller. Take a look at these new tweets fromAquamandirectorJames Wanbelow, where he also confirms that Oscar-nominated cinematographerDon Burgesswill be his DP onAquaman.
