When MCU sequels like Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World zoomed into theaters, many stopped to wonder why Tony Stark and Thor didn’t just call on the Avengers to help solve their current predicament.
Now, Warner Bros. is facing a similar conundrum, as Aquaman is all set to become the first live-action DC movie to release in a post-Justice League world. And while it would be easy for James Wan and his creative team to carve out room for some crowd-pleasing cameo, the director is adamant that his maritime adventure won’t pay much attention to Arthur Curry’s superpowered allies, as it would only detract from Aquaman‘s core plot.
Via EW:
I wanted to keep the story to the world of Aquaman and not have to worry about what other characters are doing in their films and how that would affect us. I just thought the simplest way was to keep it clean — keep it simple and let it be an Aquaman story.
That’s not to say Aquaman will exist in a vacuum; chances are James Wan and Warner Bros. will include at least one post-credits scene in order to link Arthur Curry’s solo pic with the wider DCEU. It’s practically a mandate for comic book movies at this point – you know, save for Logan.
The director’s previous comments to EW support this theory, too, when Wan acknowledged Aquaman‘s place in the DC universe.
I told them I understand and respect that it is part of a bigger universe but at the end of the day I have to tell the story I want to tell, and I want to develop the character as well. It was something the studio was respectful about … In my movie he starts off one way and becomes very different by the end. It’s a classic hero’s journey. I equate our story to The Sword and the Stone, it’s a very Arthurian story about a journey to becoming king.
Aquaman breaches the surface on December 21st.
