DC Studios’ upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, aka Aquaman 2, has been one of the anticipated movies that is finally set to release. While the Jason Momoa starrer movie had many hurdles in its way, its trailer has been released, and it promises to be a good watch for audiences.
However, with no glimpse of Willem Dafoe’s Vulko in the trailer, many are asking if he will return in the DC sequel or not.
In the first Aquaman movie, the superhero movie fanatics were enthralled to see Green Goblin actor Willem Dafoe as a DC character Nuidis Vulko. He had a prominent role in the movie, but unfortunately, he won’t return for the sequel. Director James Wan confirmed that the actor’s schedule “unfortunately did not work” and he could not be a part of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Why Willem Dafoe Will Not Be in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
The first Aquaman movie had Willem Dafoe in a pivotal role as the Atlantean taught the young Arthur the tricks of the trade. He was expected to be reprising the role of Nuidis Vulko in the sequel.
However, it was the scheduling conflicts with the actor and the DC movie which could not fit. Dafoe’s schedule simply didn’t work for the DC sequelโs production timeline, potentially due to his prior commitments on Asteroid City and Poor Things.
Director James Wan took the opportunity of his absence and add more depth to the character of Nicole Kidman’s role as Arthur Curry’s mother, Atlanna. In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, days after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s trailer release, the director talked about Vulkoโs absence from the movie.
โWillem is not in this one, no. Part of the reason was because his schedule did not work for us. But what that allowed me to do was expand on Atlanna’s role. Atlanna in this one ultimately becomes Arthur’s advisor. Because Arthur’s not from this world, she helps him better understand the world and the politics of how things work.โ
James Wan
What To Expect from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?
In the same conversation, the director talked about the premise of the movie and how it will be set on the bro-mance code. He said that the first movie was about Arthur and Meraโs love story, but the second one would be around Arthur and Orm.
“I always pitched this to everyone from the get-go. The first Aquaman was Arthur and Mera’s journey. The second movie was always going to be Arthur and Orm. So, the first was a romance action-adventure movie, and the second one is a bromance action-adventure movie.”
James Wan
The DC sequel takes on โa bromance action-adventureโ direction, with the half-Atlantean/half-human king forming an unlikely alliance with half-brother Orm to protect Atlantis against Black Manta. It will be the last movie in the Snyderverse era, and there has been no official confirmation about Jason Momoaโs Aquaman in the new DCU led by James Gunn.
Starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to release in theaters on 20 December 2023.
It would be interesting to see how the DC sequel will justify Willem Dafoeโs absence and justify his character. Let us know in the comments how Aquaman 2 can use his absence to explore the other characters of Atlanna.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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