In a little under two months, WB will finally release Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom. Like the original movie, this new film looks like a wild romp that manages to stand out from other blockbuster superhero fare thanks to its visual splendor and weird mishmash of aesthetics. Whatever you may think about these movies, they are impressively outlandish, whether that’s an octopus playing the drums or a group of underwater warriors using aquatic laser rifles to fight a kingdom of crab men.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, director James Wan explained that for Lost Kingdom, he looked to stop-motion creatures made Ray Harryhausen for inspiration (like the mechanical squid Octobot that Aquaman and Orm fight in the trailer), along with Euro-horror films like the 1965 film Planet of the Vampires. “There was an element of horror in the first film,” said Wan, referring to the film’s brief inclusion of the kingdom of ocean-dwelling cannibals dubbed the Trench. The Lost Kingdom will have “more of that,” he continued, and have a general “very retro, ‘60s horror look.”
Wan’s other point of inspiration for the sequel? Buddy comedies like Tango & Cash, as he’s always wanted to an “outright buddy comedy.” The film sees Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry team up his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) years after they came to blows in the first movie, which Wan noted allows both Aquaman films to “roll right into each other” should one choose to watch them as a double feature. Of Arthur’s goofy bravado clashing with Orm’s more straight-laced attitude, Wan likened it to Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ dynamic in the first Men in Black. “Like Tommy, Patrick plays it dry, but very funny.”
Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom will release in theaters on December 20.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
