I was complimentary of James Wan‘s work directing Furious 7 and I’ve sporadically enjoyed his work in the horror realm, but I think it’s interesting to learn his name has risen to the top of the heap when it comes to Warner Bros.’ search for a director for their Aquaman movie. After all, Wan didn’t necessarily bring anything to Furious 7 as much as he kept the franchise firmly intact.
The report comes from The Hollywood Reporter where they say he’s the studio’s choice and some preliminary talks have taken place.
It’s interesting to consider what it means to be a director and step into a situation such as what Warner Bros. is attempting to do with their slate of DC Comics adaptations. There’s a reason Marvel shakes their iron fist when it comes to how their Marvel Cinematic Universe features are handled, the films must stick to a certain mold and you can’t go too far outside that vision. We saw what happened when Edgar Wright had his own ideas for Ant-Man. So, what is Wan walking into and perhaps the way he was able to keep the spirit of the Fast & Furious franchise alive is exactly why WB wants him. “Hey, this guy seems to know how to mimic what was done before and do it successfully, let’s bring him in.”
Wan is already prepping a sequel to The Conjuring, which we now learn is titled The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist and slated for a June 10, 2016 release. His plate, for the moment is clear, though Universal does hold the option to bring Wan back to direct Fast and Furious 8 and could bring him back, but what’s the point?
As of now Aquaman is set for a June 27, 2018 release with Jason Momoa starring in the title role, a role we’ll seem him play in the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice next year.
