As part of the 2021 DC FanDome virtual celebration on Saturday, Jason Momoa led fans behind the scenes of production on the superhero sequel ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’. As per Variety, the sneak peek footage begins with Momoa driving onto the set for his first day of production on July 17.

“Aloha DC Fandome I apologize for the four-year wait,” the star began. “But I’m very proud of the sequel because it’s tackling a lot of issues environmentally, stakes are higher and I’m just excited because I had a big part of it with my boy James,” he continued.

Momoa and director James Wan have been revealing snippets of information on social media in recent months to quench fans eagerly awaiting details on what challenges the titular half-human, half-Atlantean hero (raised on land as Arthur Curry) will face in this next chapter. But Saturday’s reveal opened the floodgates. The behind-the-scenes footage features plenty of on-set action, including Momoa rocking Aquaman’s new stealth suit (which the star revealed last month), plus live-action shots of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s David Kane (aka the villainous Black Manta), Amber Heard’s Mera and Patrick Wilson’s Orm, as well as colourful concept art from the movie.

“People are going to be in for a treat when ‘Aquaman 2’ comes out. They’re going to get a movie that’s more mature, but yet still retains its fun to give audiences something different, something new they haven’t seen before,” Wan’s promise of the globe-trotting production. Producer Peter Safran pointed to the fact that the first ‘Aquaman’ holds the title as the most successful movie in the DC Extended Universe to date, having made over USD 1.4 billion at the worldwide box office.

That success, Safran said, shows what Wan and his team can accomplish, and teased that the new movie “turns the dial up to 11” with the action, fun and heart. Returning alongside Momoa, Abdul-Mateen, Heard and Wilson are Nicole Kidman (Queen Atlanna), Randall Park (Dr Stephen Shin) and Temuera Morrison (Tom Curry). Dolph Lundgren confirmed his return as King Nereus on Thursday, posting a shot from his on-set trailer.

New to the ‘Aquaman’ universe are ‘Pose’ star Indya Moore as Karshon and ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Pilou Asbaek, whose involvement in the project has been shrouded in secrecy. The new footage is the biggest reveal since Momoa sent fans into a frenzy when he showed his new costume on social media, posting two images of the upgraded armour with the caption, “Second round. New suit. More action.”

In a separate post, Wan explained that he and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick were inspired by the character’s “blue suit” from the 1980s comics when creating the new stealthy look, which boasts Atlantean tech based on a cephalopod’s camouflaging ability. The filmmaker also shared a shot of Wilson’s Orm (Arthur’s half-brother and the former king of Atlantis) looking much shaggier than audiences last saw him at the end of 2018’s ‘Aquaman’. The filmmaker teased the character’s reappearance, writing, “I found this guy @thereelpatrickwilson stranded on a desert beach, doing his Cast Away impression.”

As far as new looks go, Abdul-Mateen recently told Variety that audiences will see a different side of David Kane and his villainous alter ego, Black Manta. “Now, we have a character who’s more mature, who has more time to breathe. And we get to understand him and some of his values and some of his motives. Hopefully, in ‘Aquaman 2’, we can present a more well-rounded version of (this character),” he explained.

‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ is expected to dive into theatres on December 16, 2022. (ANI)

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