Aquaman

Alright, so maybe Power Rangers wasn’t the beginning of a new superhero franchise its studio was hoping for, but at least some good will come out of the film. Ludi Lin, the Chinese-Canadian actor who played the Black Ranger in Lionsgate’s film, has officially been put on the fast track to Hollywood action stardom with a supporting role in Aquaman, DC’s upcoming film about the Machiavellian goings-on in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Ya he’s in luck there/down in the muck there/under the sea.

For those of you unfamiliar with the rogues’ gallery of Aquaman, a brief primer: Black Manta is not an actual giant evil manta ray, but just some guy who hates Aquaman. The Ocean Master is Aquaman’s half-brother, a nefarious wizard and looter who, you guessed it, hates Aquaman. Nereus is a rival undersea king who, naturally, hates Aquaman. They’ll all show their watery faces in the upcoming feature film vehicle for the lord of the briny deep, but today, we can add one more name to the laundry list. (Probably.)

There are a few standouts in the Justice League trailer (aside from Zack Snyder’s glaring obsession with making audiences feel like they’re trapped in a 2001 NuMetal music video): Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen / The Flash, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman — all of whom inject the trailer with enough personality to make up for Ben Affleck’s affectless Batman. Momoa’s humorously gruff take on Aquaman is a pleasant surprise, and it’s really piqued our interest in his upcoming solo film from director James Wan, which has officially begun production.

It’s funny how things work out. A while back, when Jason Momoa was announced as the actor for Justice League and Aquaman, I wasn’t sure he was the right guy for the role. Momoa may actually be a human-sized action figure, but his acting skills seemed a little rough around the edges, and the last thing that Zack Snyder needed was a mediocre performance from one of the core players in the DC Cinematic Universe. And now, months later, Momoa is one of the few parts of Justice League I’m not worried about. Like I said, funny how things work out.

Well, it looks like action star Dolph Lundgren is stepping back into the world of DC Comics — this time into a big superhero tentpole. Lundgren has just joined the cast of James Wan’s Aquaman as the dastardly King Nereus.

Zack Snyder took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a brand-new Justice League poster, and this time everyone’s in profile!

Are all Australian filmmakers and actors friends? On an episode of the WTF with Marc Maron back in 2013, Maron shared a theory with guest Nick Cave that everyone who comes from Australian and has achieved “a certain level of celebrity” must know each other. Cave almost immediately proved his point correct, confirming his friendship with Russell Crowe before discussing his script idea for a Gladiator sequel. Maron’s theory has stuck with me in the intervening years; doesn’t it seem like everyone in Hollywood from Australia seems to be personal friends with each other? It can’t be that small a country, right?

The Universal monster cinematic universe (UMCU) is about to launch with Tom Cruise’s The Mummy this summer, and the studio is already planning their next installment. Seemingly because he took to Aquaman like a fish to water, screenwriter Will Beall is diving into The Creature from the Black Lagoon next.

With VR an up-and-coming storytelling medium, all the big studios want in on the action. Gone are the days of 4-D pirate adventures with seats that spit water into your face. The people don’t want to be in the movie anymore, they want to be the movie. The latest studio to get into the biz is Warner Bros., inking a deal with IMAX’s new VR component for virtual reality experiences based around the Justice League.

It’s finally spring, or at least according to the calendars we’re three days into spring despite what the weather is telling us. And what do we all want to do when the seasons finally turn warm? Take a tip in the ocean, of course. That’s probably what’s on Aquaman’s mind in the new footage Warner Bros. dropped on TV this week to tease the upcoming Justice League trailer.