Director James Wan is really frantic about Aquaman . And he should be .
Wan has made a alone superhero movie . It ’s both a continuation to other films , as well as a standalone line story . It produce incredible , vast new worlds and does it witha gleethat hark back to the film ’s laughable Quran ascendant .
In an interview , Wan discussed why he decided Togolese Republic with that playful tone , how he decided to set the film after Justice League , what that changed about the movie , his proudest achievements in the film , and more .
Germain Lussier , io9 : One of the things I enjoyed about Aquaman was howself - aware it was . Was that intentional ?
James Wan : Well , I definitely wanted to make a playful , tongue - in - cheek cinema — serious in spots but not take itself too seriously . I imply , jeez , this movie is about a character who has the ability to communicate with marine life ! I tried to have fun with that . But at the same time , not have masses make fun of the graphic symbol like he has been made fun of the past if that have sentiency . So it was a bite of a tightrope I had to walk .
io9 : So how do you walk that tightrope ? How do you cling with that tone , work in serious parts , but also give it the ambit and this huge adventure ?
Wan : Really , I pull most intake from the comic book . The mirthful book has all those elements of high ocean risky venture , phantasy , shades of horror virgule ocean monsters , and this wonderful magical sci - fi phantasy . It has a little flavor of everything . So , going into it , I roll in the hay I really want to be respectful of all those sort of different sapidity that it has .
But I wanted to hang all of them on a very uncomplicated , Graeco-Roman story spark . So the story is very straight : a guy that has to reasonably much challenge his sidekick to the throne but then realizes he ’s not physically strong or mentally inclined at that point to take on the blood brother and has to find another way to do it . And , ultimately , it becomes a classic quest picture . So , yes , keeping the narration more straightforward really allow me to hang all these flavors and texture and sort of different look to the moving-picture show .
io9 : I was surprised that there ’s only one citation of the remote DC universe in this film , to explain ittakes place after Justice League . Was that always the programme and why was it of import to keep this story disjoined ?
Wan : Early on we sort of [ enquire ] whether this was a prequel , like Wonder Woman , where they support it up and did her origin news report . But working on the story , conceive more about it in my header , I earn there ’s a style I could get around that . I could do his solo movie , post - Justice League , but still make it an pedigree story . And , patently , a big part of that is due to the fact that in Justice League , Jason ’s fictitious character , Arthur , look so unlike and has such a different personality to him . I feel that I could actually take him on his case arc for him to realize the hero that he needs to be by the goal of the moving picture , and , henceforth , he becomes the Aquaman as we know it from the comic book of account . That really is the case . And when you start doing that and start to give him his own journey , literally , his own course that he has to take , he go bad to such a different world that does n’t wed - in with the bigger macrocosm so to speak . It is literally his stand up - alone plastic film .
io9 : So it vocalise like Justice League ’s treatment of Arthur finish up giving you a neat property to begin from .
Wan : Yeah , exactly . Having Momoa come out off as just kind of a lone hand and a guy that does n’t need to have anything to do with anyone meant that hestarts off in one extreme way , and I could guide him more and more towards the other direction .
io9 : You were making this movie as Justice League came out which resulted in all form ofbehind - the - scenes rumorsanddramaat DC plastic film . Did that impact your production at all or was it full steam ahead ?
[ But ] there really was n’t anything at all with this pic . This moving picture was so straight for me . It was really no different to me making one of my low budget horror films in a band of respects . We were down in Australia , masses loved the sight that I had pitched , so I was pretty much leave alone to make the movie I desire to make .
io9 : One affair that ’s not the same as those revulsion motion picture though are the extensive visual effect . What was the gruelling thing about those to get right because I heard it was a very long , difficult physical process ?
Wan : It definitely was . It was a different kind of filmmaking for me in that respectfulness . I ’d done a lot of visual effect on Furious 7 but not to this academic degree in footing of world universe and hooey like that . I always want to make a world creation motion-picture show . I was just waiting for the right task , and that was a big part of why I went with this particular prop is it allowed me to just go wild with my resource and let at large and have playfulness with it . And so yes there was a fate of optical effect involve , especially with the submerged world
Just in terms of triviality that was the biggest challenge , how do I entrance the look ? How do I have the actors be in this sort of fantasy cosmos and [ in reality see them ] because I like to flash as much practical as I can . That ’s just my background . That ’s my love . And then , obviously , utilise visual effects to do all the things that I ca n’t do in the practical cosmos . [ But ] we put the thespian on these crazy trucking rig that helpsimulate swimming and floatingand then upshot occur in to do the hair , the costumes and basically make the full environs around them . So it ’s a combination of efforts from of all these artists , and it really direct the whole circus to put this production together .
io9 : So out of all of those things , what is the thing visually and technically you are most proud of with Aquaman ?
James : From a visual / technical standpoint , the matter I ’m most gallant of is achieve the look of the subaquatic universe . It was something I took a raft of pride in when I jumped to this undertaking . I really want to make a film that felt unlike . Make a superhero moving-picture show that did not feel like your traditional superhero movie , so it does n’t conform to what we ’re familiar with from all the other superhero pic that are out there . And so I really loved that aspect of it . It ’s a public that we have n’t quite visited before in the cinematic world . At least not to this arcdegree . And come out and design spectacular visuals that that hopefully will hold out on years from now .
Who get it on how the film ’s going to do , but I require the pic to last on and be care for by fans years from now . child who grew up watching this cinema in the same way you and I turn up see Christopher Reeves fly for the first meter in Superman . Having that wonderment . That was what I really want to do is just capture that sense of magic and wonder .
io9 : Final stupid question . There ’s a guessing too soon in the movie of Atlanna jumping off a dock in tedious motion . Was that a nod toJames Cameron ’s Aquaman from Entourage ?
Wan : [ Laughs ] You know I have not take care that season , so it definitely was n’t knowing .
But you know what ? That ’s the great matter about Aquaman . If Wan had say he put in a trice to that , it would fit right on in .
Aquaman hits theaters December 21 .
For more , ensure you ’re keep up us on our newfangled Instagram @io9dotcom .
AquamanDC EntertainmentDC UniverseWarner Bros.
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , science , and civilisation news in your inbox daily .
newsworthiness from the future , give birth to your present .
You May Also Like
