Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been pushed back from a March 17, 2023, release date to December 25, 2023. Taking its March 17, 2023 date is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which itself has been delayed from December 21, 2022.
The directors of both movies have commented on the moves, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg said on Twitter: “While I’m an impatient bastard who wants people to see it as soon as possible (the film will be fully done in just a few weeks), the move makes sense since Avatar was taking all IMAX/PLF screens. Fury of the Gods is a big movie & should be seen big!”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom director James Wan, meanwhile, posted the following message on his Facebook page. “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom moving to Christmas Day 2023. I’m a bit superstitious, and I love that it’s a December release like the first one!”
To ease the pain of the long wait, he added: “Here is a small glimpse of some artwork into the big, epic world-building we’re creating, and I need the time to do it right. These images barely scratch the surface of this movie (they haven’t even shown the weird and wonderful characters and creatures of this world yet). I can’t wait to show, but you have to wait just a little bit longer.”
Starring Jason Momoa as the title character, Aquaman was released in December 2019 and grossed a massive $1.148 billion worldwide. The film earned $335 million at domestic theaters and a whopping $813.4 million from international markets.
Aquaman is the origin story of half-surface dweller, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry that takes him on the journey of his lifetime — one that will not only force him to face who he really is but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.
The action-packed adventure spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas. Aquaman was rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action and for some language.
For Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Amber Heard will be back as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm Marius, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna.
Ben Affleck will also reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the new movie. The sequel comes to us from DC Films, The Safran Company, and Atomic Monster Productions.
James Wan directed the first film from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, a story by Geoff Johns & Wan and Will Beall, based on characters created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger for DC.
The film was produced by Peter Safran and Rob Cowan, with Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns, and Walter Hamada serving as executive producers.
Wan’s team behind the scenes included such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess, Wan’s five-time editor Kirk Morri, production designer Bill Brzeski, and visual effects supervisor Kelvin McIlwain. They were joined by costume designer Kym Barrett and composer Rupert Gregson-Williams.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.