The Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom behind-the-scenes trailer revealed several new details about DC’s upcoming sequel. Aquaman became a monstrous big-screen hit in 2018’s holiday season and stands as the highest grossing DC movie to date. The sequel looks set to take a much more expansive adventure into the underwater world alongside Jason Momoa’s returning King of Atlantis.
James Wan is also back as director, while Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Amber Heard are also respectively returning as Orm, Black Manta, and Mera. The sequel will clearly continue the high adventure spirit that propelled its predecessor to success. However, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom also looks to be a very different follow-up in numerous respects.
Per comments made by Wan, Momoa, and others in the BTS video released for DC FanDome, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will approach its story in a whole new way, with different stakes and what Momoa himself believes to be even better film that the first. Here are the major reveals, secrets, and Easter eggs seen in the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom BTS trailer at the online DC FanDome event.
If the soundtrack for The Lost Kingdom’s BTS video sounds familiar, that’s because it was also used in the final trailer for the first Aquaman. The tempo and spirit of the soundtrack certainly fits Aquaman perfectly, which made it a wise choice to utilize in the trailer. By bringing it back for the BTS video, it doesn’t necessarily signal that the soundtrack will be integrated into the film itself, which it wasn’t in the first Aquaman, but it’s more likely a technique to evoke the feeling of otherworldly adventure audiences got from the first film that’s being carried over into the sequel.
Producer Peter Safran outlines the scale of the film in the BTS video with the comment “The world is at stake”. This could hint to a much more dire conflict compared to the first Aquaman. While Arthur’s half-brother Orm was determined to lead Atlantis to war against the surface world, and even sent tidal waves as a warning shot, Arthur becoming the new king prevented that from happening. This could indicate both another plot by Orm to launch a war against the surface, along with Arthur’s reign over Atlantis possibly being threatened as a means to make that war happen.
Jason Momoa speaks in the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom BTS trailer of having a story where “the stakes are higher“, along with “tackling important issues, environmentally“. Aquaman has always been the eco-conscious DC hero, so as the King of Atlantis and ruler of the high seas, it makes sense for Arthur’s movie to address environmental concerns. This also continues on Jason Momoa’s own efforts to combat environmental damage in real life.
The first Aquaman had a generally breezy, adventurous tone imbued by Jason Momoa’s free-spirited persona. While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will certainly retain the adventure elements of its predecessor, James Wan also describes the film as telling a “more mature” story. With the movie already taking on environmental themes, per Momoa, this could indicate Arthur will face greater challenges as the King of Atlantis, and with the stakes already confirmed to be higher, The Lost Kingdom could be telling a somewhat darker story compared to its predecessor, with Arthur perhaps dealing with more loss and possible sacrifice on his part in his duties as king of the underwater kingdom.
More concept art seen in the BTS video shows what looks like a soldier from the kingdom of Atlantis wielding a trident, with a huge, serpentine creature of some kind behind him. This naturally indicates that Atlantean soldiers will continue to be a heavy presence in The Lost Kingdom, bringing Atlantean tech and weaponry into play in the film’s action scenes. Moreover, the creature’s role in the film is also a big question mark, and judging from art, it could be the basis for a scene of an Atlantean soldier being eaten. Still, more tridents, soldiers, and undersea creatures are on The Lost Kingdom’s agenda.
One shot in the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom BTS trailer also shows returning director James Wan with a larger collection of concept art behind him. While it’s difficult to infer everything it represents for the movie, there are several images of Black Manta, which could indicate he’ll take on more of a central role after being the secondary villain of the first Aquaman. There are also what appear to be different kinds of Atlantean armor suits and relics in the concept art, which could mean that the history of the underwater kingdom could play a role in the sequel in tandem with its present-day story.
The Lost Kingdom will not only bring back Black Manta, but also the first film’s primary villain, Arthur’s half-brother Orm aka Ocean Master. Orm was defeated by Arthur in their climactic combat of the kings and taken into Atlantean custody at the end of Aquaman, so it’s not fully clear whether he’s escaped, been released, or been summoned by Arthur in the aim of stopping Black Manta. In any case, Patrick Wilson is back for the sequel, so the strained relationship between he and Arthur will probably factor into the story alongside the return of Black Manta on his mission of vengeance.
The video also shows Yahya Abdul Mateen II undergoing some weapons training, the actor wielding props that appear to be stand-ins for swords or sticks. He and Arthur fought a hard fight in the movie’s submarine sequence, followed by an epic battle in Sicily when Manta had built his suit. After his defeat, Black Manta likely decided to level up in terms of both his armor and weaponry to fight Arthur and the very powerful Mera, too. He also exhibited skill in martial arts in the film, along with wielding blades made from Atlantean metal. He might now bring a new set of weapons into play to battle Arthur.
Mera can also be briefly seen in the look into the making of The Lost Kingdom, with Amber Heard’s hair pinned up. This shows that the film will carry over how its predecessor depicted hair underwater, with the actors pinning their natural hair in place, and hair created through CGI to appear as though it’s floating as hair naturally would underwater. This was a subtle but crucial tool in depicting underwater physics with a sense of weight and gravity in the first Aquaman. For The Lost Kingdom, the film seems to be taking an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to hair underwater.
Somewhat similar to Dune‘s own famed monster, concept art from the BTS tease also shows a sequence in the desert. As previously mentioned, Arthur and Mera ventured to ancient Atlantean ruins buried beneath the Sahara desert in the first film, in order to retrieve a map leading to the Trident of Atlan. The concept art indicates that the story of The Lost Kingdom will take the film back to the desert at some point, though it’s unknown why. Desert creatures resembling dragons are also in the concept art, so it’s probably a good bet they’ll make an appearance in the film, too.
Arthur isn’t just seen in his Atlantean attire in the BTS video, but also in clothing from the surface world, not unlike the fedora and leather jacket of his fellow adventurer Indiana Jones. In particular, Arthur’s brown shirt also looks like the same one he wore in when he and Mera ventured to the Sahara and to Sicily in the first Aquaman movie. Arthur’s never been a terribly materialistic character, but this hints to him maintaining some attachment to the shirt. With the brown shirt coming back, James Wan is also maintaining a bit of wardrobe continuity with the first film, as well.
Aquaman was an adventure on the high seas that also spent a fair amount of time in different surface world settings, like the Sahara desert and Sicily. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks to be expanding the scope of the first movie even more with more such settings like tropical settings, underwater caves, and icebergs. The latter is actually seen a fair amount in the look behind-the-scenes, which could hint to Aquaman’s next adventure as king taking the story to either the North or the South pole.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is also back for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as Black Manta, and he’ll be sporting a new suit for the sequel, and seems to have a group of allies on his side. While the first film’s version of the Black Manta suit was pretty close to its depiction in the comics, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has given it a bit of a makeover, with more silver elements added to the suit, particularly on the helmet and the lining just below the neck. With the damage done to his suit in his first battle with Arthur, it stands to reason that Black Manta has made efforts to adjust and upgrade it since then.
As in their long-standing pre-movie history, which also involves Black Manta’s son Aqualad, Aquaman showed Black Manta holds Arthur responsible for his father’s demise, with Black Manta still determined to get his revenge by the end. In the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom BTS trailer, Wan establishes that Black Manta is “still seeking his vengeance” on Arthur. With their ongoing feud and Black Manta’s continued determination to avenge his father, this could also play into Momoa’s comment about The Lost Kingdom telling a more mature story. It could also hypothetically mean that Black Manta might achieve some measure of payback with an attack on Atlantis, as well, with the new vehicle he pilots underwater possibly playing a role in that.
Like Black Manta, Aquaman has undergone a costume change for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While he donned a green and gold Atlantean suit in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and his comic-accurate orange and green suit in Aquaman, Arthur now wears a new Aquaman suit with both black and dark blue elements in its color scheme. No official reason has been given yet for Arthur’s costume change in the film, or whether the other suits he’s worn will be seen, but like all superheroes, Arthur’s donned different costumes in the comics, so The Lost Kingdom‘s suit change should play into the story in some way.
James Wan also describes The Lost Kingdom as telling a “globe-trotting story“. There are hints of this through the aforementioned settings in caves and icebergs seen in the BTS video, and for a superhero movie with as much of a sense of adventure as the first Aquaman, it certainly makes sense for the sequel to do the same to establish its tone among 2022’s upcoming DC movies. The title of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom itself also alludes to the globe-trotting nature of the film, so audiences can expect a fairly large scope for Arthur’s adventure as the King of Atlantis now defending the oceans of the world.
The Lost Kingdom will also, per James Wan, “visit so many different worlds”, and that’s something that can be inferred from the title itself. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom directly points to Arthur and the other characters making contact with a lost underwater civilization as forming the foundation of the movie. The heavy emphasis on arctic locations in the BTS video could signal that the lost kingdom in question may be situated near or even in one of the Earth’s poles. Whatever the case may be, it looks like more undersea metahumans will make their debut in The Lost Kingdom.
In addition to other teases relating to Jason Momoa’s return as Aquaman, concept art shown in the look behind the making of The Lost Kingdom also shows a volcanic island, but its role in the story of the movie is a hard one to guess. It could be that it’s where another civilization has established itself away from the surface and the undersea kingdom, or might just be the setting for one major set piece of the film where Arthur retrieves an ancient artifact, or something to that effect. It’s certainly a very different setting from the icy environments seen throughout the video, so it’ll be interesting to see what role the volcanic island plays.
Randall Park previously appeared in the original Aquaman as Dr. Stephen Shin, a human scientist trying to prove the existence of Atlantis. The Aquaman end-credits scene teased a team-up between he and Black Manta in the latter’s mission of vengeance. The BTS video shows a quick look at Stephen Shin, hiding behind what looks like a partially sunken boat in the arctic. This could indicate he struck a bargain of some kind with Black Manta to lead him to Aquaman, or he may have been taken hostage. Either way, the world will find out when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters.