James Wan Set to Direct ‘Aquaman’, WB Chief Talks DC Comics Strategy

Warner Bros. has officially announced James Wan will follow the $1.5+ billion success of Furious 7 and direct Aquaman for the studio. Jason Momoa set to star as the title character and ruler of Atlantis, following his introduction in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Warner Bros’ president of creative development and worldwide production, Greg Silverman, was quoted by Deadline saying, “The Aquaman film will be a major tentpole picture for us and James’s span of work has proven him able to take on any manner of project, bringing his incredible creative talent and unique voice to the material.”

In related news, Silverman was asked specifically by The Hollywood Reporter how the studio intended to differentiate the DC Universe from what Marvel is doing. He said:

We have a great strategy for the DC films, which is to take these beloved characters and put them in the hands of master filmmakers and make sure they all coordinate with each other. You’ll see the difference when you see Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League and all the things that we are working on.

It’s an interesting quote considering Silverman is putting the likes of not only Wan, but Suicide Squad director David Ayer, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and Justice League and Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder in the category of “master filmmaker”. I’m not sure I’d go so far, despite enjoying films from all four directors.

I’m also not sure how that suggests any level of differentiation as the comment could be read as a bit of a dig against the helmers working on the Marvel films. I guess it’s all a matter of opinion, but it seems like Silverman dodged the question more than anything.

As for Aquaman, Wan will oversee the script from Kurt Johnstad (300) as he is currently working on The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist for WB. Aquaman hits theaters on June 27, 2018.

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