A DCU Actor’s Recasting Can Revive a Cancelled DCEU Project and Adapt a Highly Underrated DC Story

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The DC Universe has officially begun with the release of Creature Commandos, but it will really fly into the sun with the upcoming movie Superman. This will be followed by Supergirl, which features former Aquaman actor Jason Momoa in the role of the deadheaded Lobo. Given that he’s no longer playing the King of the Seven Seas, there’s a lot of potential for Arthur Curry to swim in a much different direction in the DCU.

When the DCU reboots Aquaman, it can differentiate him by adapting elements of his most iconic run: the Peter David Aquaman series. Likewise, elements from the previous DC Extended Universe might still be seen in a formerly canceled movie being revived. Through these aspects, the breadth and width of Aquaman’s best stories can dive onto the big screen.

The Best Aquaman Run Is No Longer Canon to the Comics

In an interview with Screenrant, comic book writer Jeremy Adams discussed his new Aquaman comic book run. In noting the different elements that are influencing the character’s new comics, Adams also specified how certain major parts of his history are no longer in continuity. Chief among these would be the stories written by acclaimed writer Peter David, with this run being seen by some as perhaps the best Aquaman run of all time.

The Peter David Aquaman run is known for introducing the concept of an edgier Aquaman with long hair, a beard and a harpoon hand, taking him far away from the cheesy imagery of the Super Friends cartoon. While this series (which was recently released in omnibus format) is definitely a fan-favorite, it hasn’t been canon to the mainstream DC comic book universe since 2011.

The New 52 reboot changed things for several DC heroes, but it actually brought Aquaman closer to his roots. During the New 52, the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths history of Aquaman was done away with, and he was once again the half-Atlantean son of lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry and Atlantean queen Atlanna. This was the status quo used in the DC Extended Universe, and while Jason Momoa’s Aquaman visually had more in common with the rugged 1990s version, the two DCEU Aquaman movies almost solely used the New 52 as an inspiration.

Ironically, it was Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom that acted as the final DCEU movie, and now, Momoa will be playing Lobo in Supergirl. Given that Superman and Batman are being recast, it was already expected that the same would be the case with the King of Atlantis. While the new actor playing Aquaman has yet to be revealed, there’s one obvious way to make him distinct from the cinematic version that came before.

How the DCU Aquaman Can Adapt His Best Run

Since the DC Extended Universe adapted Aquaman’s New 52 comics (with the Geoff Johns, Jeff Parker and Dan Abnett books considered second only to Peter David’s), the DC Universe can be different by instead hewing closer to the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths comic books. These are mostly defined by Peter David, though Keith Giffen, Will Pfeifer, Phil Jimenez and other creators made a big impact on the sea king’s mythology. In fact, the series focused on mythology and fantasy more than ever, elevating Aquaman beyond being just another generic superhero book.

Under Peter David’s pen, the Aquaman book was an epic tragedy that was large in fantasy and adventure elements, being essentially an underwater Game of Thrones novel due to its level of betrayal, drama and even dismemberment. Aquaman himself saw a lot of development, and it was clear how much the character even resented being seen as just another superhero. Amid his growing turmoil was a failed romance with Dolphin, the revelation of his illegitimate son Koryak and the maturation of former sidekick Aqualad/Garth into Tempest.

These post-Crisis books offer the best path for the new DCU, and they’re also distinct from the comics that the previous movies adapted. In the Silver Age and the New 52, Aquaman was half-human, but in the Peter David run and Peter David’s The Atlantis Chronicles, he was fully Atlantean and fathered by the underwater wizard Arion. Using this backstory for Aquaman in the DCU will quickly keep from repeating the story beats of the character being “stuck between two worlds,” and the same could go for the tone. The James Wan Aquaman movies were fairly light-hearted adventures that felt like updates of Ray Harryhausen’s swashbuckling epics.

On the other hand, the DCU can feature much darker fantasy elements that feel more like The Lord of the Rings than yet another generic superhero movie. Adding to this could be a Max DCU streaming show adapting The Atlantis Chronicles, truly putting Peter David’s time on the King of the Seven Seas on the big and small screens. It’s this kind of tonal and genre diversity that will make the DC Universe work in a way that even the Marvel Cinematic Universe never did. Given concerns over “superhero fatigue,” this is more necessary than ever.

Likewise, still having Aquaman as a rugged and stern character whose life is filled with drama, trauma and loss will forever erase the stain of the Super Friends cartoon. It could similarly put the character “over” with the masses, especially compared to Marvel rival Namor, who was not only significantly altered, but might not appear in further MCU projects due to actor controversies. This can all be done by embracing the blank slate of DCU Aquaman and utilizing his most notable stories for the next generation of DC Comics adaptations. Ironically, this rebooted continuity might be able to also resurrect the cancelled DCEU project, James Wan’s The Trench, which would easily fit the tone of Peter David’s take on Aquaman.

This Canceled DCEU Film May Still Work In James Gunn’s New Universe

One of the many canceled DC Extended Universe projects was James Wan’s The Trench, which was set to be a spinoff of his Aquaman movies. The film would have showcased the origin of the monstrous Trench, who are a mutated genetic offshoot of the Atlanteans. In doing so, it also would have played to Wan’s strengths given his experience with the horror genre. Before joining the DCEU, he created the Conjuring Universe movies for Warner Bros. Discovery, with the first two movies in particularly revitalizing horror during a bit of a down season. The Trench could have combined fantasy with comic book body horror, making it a lot different from other comic book adaptations, especially at the time. The movie ended up being canceled before much headway was made on it, and this was likely as decisions were being made to ax the DCEU as a whole. While it didn’t release in that shared universe, it could still live again in James Gunn’s DC Universe. Even with the differences between post-Crisis and New 52 Aquaman lore, the Trench could still exist in a world defined mostly by the Peter David Aquaman run. They would merely be another tribe of Altanteans, much like the Tritonians, who developed separately from the main group.

The same could be the case for Mera and the Xebelians, who are another Atlantean tribe in modern comics, instead of being from another distinct dimension. If a Max Atlantis Chronicles series is made to flesh out the new backstory for Aquaman (much as the upcoming Paradise Lost is doing with Wonder Woman), then The Trench as a movie could be a further spinoff of the show. James Wan himself could come back and restart the initial plans for the movie, which would slot well into the DCU. This would be a way to honor Aquaman’s history and legacy in both film and comics, as different versions of the character would be brought onto the big and small screens. Right now, such an idea might be a few years away, especially since there hasn’t even been one DCU movie released in theaters. Aquaman will eventually swim back into theaters, however, and when he does, James Gunn, James Wan and anyone else involved have plenty of great material to adapt.

“}]] The recasting of Aquaman for the DC Universe can see new movies and TV shows adapt his best comic books while reviving a canceled DCEU film.  Read More