“The movie is probably fine”: Zack Snyder Makes an Encouraging Prediction For Jason Momoa’s Controversial Aquaman 2
Before James Gunn and Peter Safran took hold of DC, one man was responsible for the empire that DC has built so far: Zack Snyder. He started his career with Dawn of the Dead and went on to make tons of comic book and superhero movies like 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League. Man of Steel actually started the DC Extended Universe, which is a legacy that no one can take away from Zack Snyder.
The 2018 movie Aquaman, featuring Jason Momoa, was a huge hit with the audience. It grossed $1.152 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing DCEU film of all time. However, Zack Snyder recently confirmed that, with James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the Snyderverse will officially come to an end. The journey of Aquaman 2 is far from smooth. The movie will feature Amber Heard, who has been drowning in controversy after her infamous defamation trial with Johnny Depp.
Zack Snyder recently sat down with Men’s Health and, despite the mixed buzz around the upcoming movie, made some positive and encouraging predictions about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
What did Zack Snyder have to say about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
Zack Snyder is the one who helped shape Aquaman into what it is today. He was behind casting Jason Momoa as Aquaman and even helped James Wan steer the character in a much more likable direction, far away from Joss Whedon’s vision for the role. In the Fire and Water Podcast, Neil Daly revealed that Joss Whedon was behind Justice League’s “teenage boy sexual humor,” which did not spare Aquaman as well.
“We could have gotten a whole movie about Aquaman basically fawning over Mera the whole time and making all kinds of dirty jokes and things like that and they really had to get away from that, which is all what Whedon had done.
He then continued to comment on how Snyder worked on the character-building of Aquaman with James Wan:
So Snyder had a little bit of an influence on Aquaman. James Wan was showing Zack Snyder – against the studio’s wishes – cuts of the movie and early test screenings and storyboards to make sure that they’re on the same page with what he originally wanted and Snyder gave his blessing of approval, bringing it back to what he wanted all along.”
While sitting down for an interview with Men’s Health, the interviewer wondered whether he is a bit relieved now that he does not have to deal with all the problems that come with Aquaman 2 anymore. He opened up by saying:
“Am I relieved? Well, I get anxiety just because I know what it feels like. It’s too personal for me to feel anything like that. The movie’s probably fine. I mean, I don’t know. Who knows?”
One cannot blame Zack Snyder for being a bit relieved, probably since the movie has been stuck with controversies such as Jason Momoa coming to the set drunk and alleged misbehavior, bad press, controversy regarding Amber Heard’s involvement in the film, and even fans boycotting the film due to the said controversies. There have also been lots of reshoots and non-stop test screenings that have made the process even more arduous.
Zack Snyder says that he would work with Amber Heard “in a second”
Amber Heard has been one of the most talked-about and controversial celebrities in recent times. She almost disappeared from the public eye due to the raging backlash she received during her defamation trial against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. However, Zack Snyder is quite a fan of Amber Heard. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he openly admits that he does not get why people hate her. In the interview, he said:
“I just don’t get it. If other people don’t like her, I don’t know what to say. I would work with her in a second.”
This is not the first time Zack Snyder has sided with a controversial actor. He praised Ezra Miller for their role in The Flash. Miller went through severe mental health breakdowns and a lot of public scandals, which almost made their future in DC uncertain. Snyder said that Miller “did a great job in that Flash movie. It’s very difficult to play against yourself.”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom comes to theaters on December 22, 2023.
